Fishermen outfifts convene meeting at Thangachimadam to decide the next course of action.
Fishermen outfifts convene meeting at Thangachimadam to decide the next course of action.
Seven fishermen from Thangachimadam village, near Rameswaram, were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy personnel at Neduntheevu on charges including poaching in the early hours of Thursday, October 27, 2022.
The names of the arrested fishermen were given as J Bino Clinton (31), S Antony Pethuru (24), A Winston (47), P Moses (48), D Mariyan (29), A Thani Selvaraj (25) and A Antony Honest (23). All the arrested belonged to Thangachimadam and they had ventured into the sea in a mechanised boat owned by Michael Raj (48).
According to information available with the Fisheries Department, the arrested fishermen were taken to a Navy camp in Karai Nagar and they were likely to be produced before a court for judicial custody.
Fishermen leader Jesu Raja, condemned the arrest. “We have been repeatedly pleading with the Union government to take firm action and find a permanent solution by holding dialogue with its counterpart in Sri Lanka,” he said.
Fishing in Palk Bay
“Our livelihood has become a big question. Only if there is security and safety, fishing activity can happen in the Palk Bay without interruption. From 2018, our boats, which were impounded have not been released yet by Sri Lanka. We have faced tremendous losses. Subsequently, the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to stay indoors. The diesel subsidy is not adequate. Fishermen have been fighting against all odds without any tangible support from the government. Such arrests not only demoralised, but also discouraged fishermen from venturing into the sea,” he claimed.
“After a long break, fishermen from the region had ventured into the Palk Bay for fishing…. and the Lankan Navy has arrested and impounded the mechanised boat again under false charges,” charged Mr Jesu Raja.
The Fisheries department officials said they had issued 555 fishing tokens on October 26 (Wednesday) and close to 3000 fishermen had ventured into the sea.
After almost 10 days, the fishermen from Rameswaram, Mandapam and Thangachimadam had gone for work as the Meterology department authorities had warned them to stay away from fishing. The rain in the coastal hamlets too, which lashed the region, stopped them from entering into the sea as the weather was windy.
The members of the fishermen association convened an urgent meeting at Thangachimadam to decide on the next course of action.