Chennai: On Monday, Chief Minister M K Stalin informed the Centre that the Sri Lankan Navy had detained 15 fishermen from Tamil Nadu and seized their boats. He urged the Centre to take prompt action to secure the fishermen's and their vessels' release.
Stalin wrote to Union Minister for External Affairs S Jaishankar to express the grief and terror felt by the state's fishing community after 15 fishermen were arrested and their boats confiscated by Sri Lanka.
On July 9, 2023, the Lankan Navy apprehended a group of fishermen who had set out in two boats to catch fish. Thousands of fishermen rely on the seas close to the maritime boundary between India and Sri Lanka for their income. Fishing is the only means of subsistence for them and their communities.—Inputs from Agencies