Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa urged the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to secure the release of 64 fishermen currently in Sri Lankan custody on Tuesday, as 11 more fishermen being detained by the Sri Lankan Navy on Monday, reports the Times of India.
Forty-six fishermen were arrested last Wednesday by the Sri Lankan Navy, whilst another seven were arrested the following day.
In her latest letter to Modi, Jayalalithaa called for a permanent solution, arguing that such a solution "lies only in [the] retrieval of Katchatheevu island".
"Until such time, the Union government must impress upon the Sri Lankan government to abstain from attacks on and abduction of our innocent fishermen on the high seas in the Palk Bay. Further, the joint mechanisms which are designed to ensure the speedy release of apprehended fishermen should be effectively activated," she wrote.
“The unconstitutional Indo-Sri Lankan Agreements of 1974 and 1976 should be nullified and the traditional rights of our fishermen to fish in the Palk Bay restored. Hence, the government of India should not treat the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) with Sri Lanka as a settled question as the constitutionality of the 1974 and 1976 agreements have been challenged on extremely valid and legal grounds by me in my personal capacity and also by the government of Tamil Nadu in the Supreme Court,” she added.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, Syed Akbaruddin said Tuesday that India was in the process of securing the release of the 64 men.
"As of today 64 Indian fishermen held in captivity in Sri Lanka. We are as usual pursuing this matter through normal diplomatic channels, as we have done in the past we will remain fixed to try and resolve this situation at the earliest as we see this as a humanitarian and a livelihood issue and we will continue to take this matter up with Sri Lankan authorities," he was quoted by DNA India as saying.
Forty-six fishermen were arrested last Wednesday by the Sri Lankan Navy, whilst another seven were arrested the following day.
In her latest letter to Modi, Jayalalithaa called for a permanent solution, arguing that such a solution "lies only in [the] retrieval of Katchatheevu island".
"Until such time, the Union government must impress upon the Sri Lankan government to abstain from attacks on and abduction of our innocent fishermen on the high seas in the Palk Bay. Further, the joint mechanisms which are designed to ensure the speedy release of apprehended fishermen should be effectively activated," she wrote.
“The unconstitutional Indo-Sri Lankan Agreements of 1974 and 1976 should be nullified and the traditional rights of our fishermen to fish in the Palk Bay restored. Hence, the government of India should not treat the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) with Sri Lanka as a settled question as the constitutionality of the 1974 and 1976 agreements have been challenged on extremely valid and legal grounds by me in my personal capacity and also by the government of Tamil Nadu in the Supreme Court,” she added.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, Syed Akbaruddin said Tuesday that India was in the process of securing the release of the 64 men.
"As of today 64 Indian fishermen held in captivity in Sri Lanka. We are as usual pursuing this matter through normal diplomatic channels, as we have done in the past we will remain fixed to try and resolve this situation at the earliest as we see this as a humanitarian and a livelihood issue and we will continue to take this matter up with Sri Lankan authorities," he was quoted by DNA India as saying.
See related articles:
Jayalalithaa slams renewed fishermen arrests by Sri Lanka (19 Jun 2014)
India committed to 'permanent solution' over fishermen arrests (16 June 2014)
Sri Lanka releases fishermen as Jaya calls for 'strong response' (09 June 2014)
Sri Lankan Navy arrests dozens of Indian fishermen (08 June 2014)
Sri Lanka releases Tamil Nadu fishermen amidst condemnation form Jayalalithaa (05 June 2014)