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Fourteen fishermen from Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy on Sunday for allegedy entering the waters of the island country, the Sri Lankan Navy said.
The Sri Lankan authorities also seized two mechanized boats from the possession of the detained fishermen. Fishermen in more than 400 boats went fishing from Rameswaram on Saturday. Many of them were fishing in the waters of the Gulf of Mannar between Dhanushkodi and Thalaimannar. The Sri Lankan navy said it arrived in the area and seized 2 boats with registration numbers IND TN 10 MM 979 and INT TN 10 MM 2530 for allegedly crossing the border. 14 fishermen including A John Bose (39), R Anthony Isrose (20), A Nilakaran (44), N Nigithan (16), T Jesu Poongavanam (42), S Anthony Santhiya (19), M Kaarlose (21), S Nishanth (38), T Tuwiston (21), Ayyavu, R Anthony Dimac (34), and S Arulandham (43), A Jelestin (55), V Anthony Aaron (38) were arrested. Authorities are investigating at Mannar Naval Camp. This incident has created turmoil among Rameswaram fishermen. DMK MP Kanimozhi on Friday called on the central government to take urgent steps to secure the release of 97 Tamil Nadu fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy. The DMK MP urged the central government to communicate with the Sri Lankan government and find a "permanent solution" for the issue. "Justice has to be done. Boats which have been captured, we want that to be released. We want the Union government to speak to the Sri Lankan government and find a permanent solution for this," said Kanimozhi. Raising concern over the Indian fishermen detained by Sri Lankan forces, Kanimozhi also highlighted that the fishermen from Tamil Nadu have been arrested and harrassed and over 210 boats have also been seized, severely impacting the livelihoods and families of the fishermen. Speaking to the media, DMK MP Kanimozhi said, "The Sri Lankan Navy has been arresting and harassing Tamil Nadu fishermen. Now, nearly 97 Tamil Nadu fishermen have been arrested. Our Chief Minister MK Stalin has written to the Minister and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Every time he is here, he insists to the PM to find a solution for this problem. They have taken away nearly 210 boats of our fishermen. It is their livelihood that is getting affected." (ANI)
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