Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 7 (ANI): Thirty Indian fishermen who had been held in Sri Lanka returned home safely on Tuesday. Of them, 21 are from Ramanathapuram and nine from Karaikal; they come from Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai and Karaikal districts.
The men had sailed out to fish on February 15 in two boats and were accused of crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line. The Sri Lankan Navy apprehended them, seized their vessels and took them to Sri Lanka. They were produced before a court in Mallakam and subsequently remanded to a prison in Jaffna.
Following the arrests, both Central and State governments engaged in diplomatic efforts for their release. Puducherry-based LJK leader Charles Martin also pursued legal action through lawyers on behalf of the fishermen. As a result, the Sri Lankan government freed all 30 fishermen on March 31 and handed them over to officials of the Indian High Commission in Colombo.
After medical checks and issuance of emergency travel documents, the fishermen flew from Colombo to Chennai International Airport. They completed immigration and customs formalities on arrival, and Fisheries Department officials then escorted them by special vehicle to their hometowns.
Sri Lankan MP Harsha de Silva told ANI that the detention of Indian fishermen by Sri Lankan authorities is a recurring problem tied to the livelihoods on both sides of the straits. He noted that the matter is complex, involving large numbers of small fishermen and contested practices such as bottom trawling, and said the solution is economic rather than purely legal.
Frequent arrests of Indian fishermen by Sri Lankan authorities remain a longstanding concern between the two countries, particularly affecting fishing communities in Tamil Nadu. (ANI)
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