Reiterating that it is their traditional right to engage in fishing along the Palk Straits, the fishermen associations from the coastal district appealed to the Centre and Tamil Nadu government to intervene into the ‘frequent’ arrest of fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy personnel under ‘false’ charge of poaching in their territory.
Passing a resolution to abstain from work for a day on August 8 (Saturday), the fishermen associations said that the Central government should immediately speak with its counterpart in Sri Lanka and get the arrested fishermen released and return back home safely.
The objective of not venturing into the sea on Saturday was to draw the attention of the governments. The strike would affect the daily wagers and also the consumers severely. However, the fishermen association members said that they had no other alternative, but to strike work.
Speaking to The Hindu, fishermen association leader Jesu Raja said here on Friday that the fishermen here have been fishing along the Palk Straits for over five decades. “We have been friends with the fishermen from the island nation for long years and on occasions we even have exchanged food and other essentials prepared from our homes with the Sri Lankan fishermen…. Such has been the tradition between the two nations from time immemorial”, he said.
Over the years, due to multiple factors, the situation had not been conducive, which had severely affected the livelihood of the fishermen. Since 2018, over 500 fishermen had been arrested and about 200 trawlers had been impounded in their Naval Ports.
In the recent months, the courts in Sri Lanka have been imposing hefty fines. “Where do we go for money to pay them, which runs to several thousands. At a time, when fishers have been finding it tough with plenty of challenges to deal with, such imposition of fines and imprisonment had ruined the lives,” he said.
The trawlers, seized by the Sri Lankan Navy, too are not returned. Many were lying in the dock and was unfit to operate. Each trawler costs anywhere around ₹40 lakh to ₹60 lakh. Impounding them results in joblessness for the fishermen. The trawler owners too are unable to repay their debts.
Diplomatic relations between the two countries have been described as friendly and whenever there was a crisis in Sri Lanka, the first nation to step in with assistance was India. “When the country’s economy was in a mess some three years ago, the Tamil Nadu government supplied essentials and we the fishermen offered to deliver swiftly to the people without expecting anything in return. Such was the magnanimity from us,” he pointed.
The new government in Tamil Nadu and Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay had written to the Prime Minister and External Affairs Minister about the arrests. “We appeal to the CM to intervene into this issue with the Centre and ensure that the issue was sorted out permanently. After all, we work for survival and everyday has been a threat. Life has become insecure for the fishermen,” Mr Jesu Raja said.
Published – August 07, 2026 07:03 pm IST
