Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has written to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling for decisive action over the arrests of Indian fishermen by Sri Lankan authorities, as dozens more fishermen were detained this week.
The Sri Lankan Navy arrested 50 Indian fishermen for poaching in Sri Lankan waters on Tuesday reported Xinhua, following the arrest of a further 38 fishermen on July 22nd.
See our earlier post: 50 Tamil Nadu fishermen arrested by Sri Lankan Navy (29 July 2014)
Jayalalithaa wrote to Modi on Tuesday, saying,
“However, as part of a deliberate and callous design, the Sri Lankan side is yet to release the 55 boats and fishing gear which were impounded from Tamil Nadu fishermen apprehended earlier.”
The Chief Minister went on to call for Prime Minister Modi to “immediately take up the issue of frequent apprehension of our fishermen and their boats by the Sri Lankan Navy at the highest diplomatic levels” calling on him to “kindly take decisive steps to ensure the immediate release of the boats and fishing gear of our fishermen which are still in Sri Lankan custody.”
See more excerpts from the letter to the Prime Minister here
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