Fisherfolk, families in Tamil Nadu protest arrest of 55 fishermen by Sri Lankan Navy

Chennai: The fisherfolk and their family members staged a protest in Tamil Nadu’s Ramanathapuram district on Monday (December 20) against the arrest of 55 Indian fishermen, confiscation of eight boats by the Sri Lankan Navy over the weekend.

The fishermen who had ventured out to sea from the fishing harbors in Rameswaram and Mandapam, were arrested for allegedly poaching in Sri Lankan waters, according to the Lankan Navy.

As a mark of solidarity with the arrested fishermen, the protestors refused to venture out to sea on Monday and demanded their release. Notably, 55 fishermen being arrested in a span of two days in the highest number in recent times.

According to fishermen associations that took part in the protests, nearly 1500 boats were anchored at the fishing harbour. The decision to protest by refusing to venture out to sea is said to have caused a revenue loss to the tune of crores of rupees.

Urging the central government and Tamil Nadu government to intervene in the issue and seek the release of the fishermen, the associations warned of large-scale protests.

In videos of the protest, fisherfolk were heard raising slogans condemning the Lankan government, demanding the release of arrested persons and their boats.

Acknowledging the arrests, the Lankan Navy had issued a statement on having taken eight Indian fishing trawlers and 55 Indian fishermen into custody as part of anti-poaching operations conducted by the Northern and North Central Naval Commands on 18th and 19th December.

In the first instance, a Sri Lankan Naval operation conducted in the seas southeast of Delft Island, Jaffna, led to seizure of six trawlers and 43 Indian fishermen who were onboard. On Sunday, two more trawlers and 12 fishermen were taken into Lankan custody, near the south of Mannar region.

The Lankan Navy added that arrangements were being made to hand over the apprehended Indian fishermen to relevant authorities for legal action, after directing them for a Rapid Antigen COVID-19 Tests.

The issue between fishermen in Tamil Nadu and the Lankan Navy has been a long-standing and thorny one. It is often alleged that Indian fishermen deliberately head to Lankan waters and indulge in bottom trawling, an unsustainable fishing practice that affects the ecology and marine life in the long-term.

Sri Lanka maintains that arrests of foreign fishermen are being done to protect the livelihood of their own fishing community. There are also numerous allegations against the Lankan Navy of having fired at and killed Indian fishermen.

While the fishing communities from Tamil Nadu and northern Sri Lanka are ethnically Tamil and follow a similar culture, in recent times, the bonhomie has deteriorated.

Earlier, the northern Sri Lankan fishermen had protested against Indian boats that were venturing into their waters, carrying out alleged illegal fishing activity. They made attempts to pressure the Indian and Sri Lankan authorities to act against those involved in illegal fishing.