Fishermen and their family members stage a demonstration in Rameswaram on Friday.
| Photo Credit: BALACHANDAR L
A large number of fishermen with their families, including women and children, staged a demonstration near the bus stand here on Friday.
Weeping uncontrollably, some of the womenfolk, who spoke to the media persons said that their livelihood has been completely shattered. “We are helpless. Our people (husbands, sons and fathers) are being arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy… Where do we go… We know only fishing. We have been traditionally fishing in the Palk Bay. Why is the government not helping us?” they asked.
Speaking to reporters, fishermen association leader V. P. Sesu Raja said that arrest of the fishermen from Tamil Nadu has become frequent. “We are totally feeling insecure. No one knows whether we will return to the shore safely as the Sri Lankan Navy personnel have been detaining large number of our men,” he said.
“The Central government and the Tamil Nadu government should help us. Of late, the Sri Lankan government has started imposing hefty fines ranging from 50000 to 200,000 (Sri Lankan Rupee) against the fishermen. At a time, when we have been fishing for survival and most of us work as daily wagers, where do we go for so much money”, he asked and appealed to the Central government to pay the fines on their behalf and bring back the arrested fishermen safely.
On December 23, three trawlers were impounded and 17 fishermen were arrested. Last week, (January 25), 34 people were arrested with three trawlers. It doesn’t seem to stop and the fishermen have no other alternative worth to attempt for their livelihood, they added.
“The arrested fishermen were produced before a court in Sri Lanka today and the court has adjourned the hearing by a fortnight”, Mr Sesu Raja said and added that the governments should take steps to bring them back home by then, else, the fishermen may be constrained to intensify their agitation through out Tamil Nadu.
Published – January 31, 2025 07:23 pm IST