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Fisherfolk along with many leaders, staged a protest at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu on Friday to demand the immediate release of 74 fishermen who were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy this year.
The protesters also demanded the release of 170 steamboats and country boats seized by the Lankan Navy. They also appealed for the immediate release of the six fishermen who were arrested by the Lankan Navy and had already been sentenced to 1 year, 2 years and 6 months of imprisonment in the Sri Lankan jail. From 2018 to 2024, the Sri Lankan Navy seized a total of 170 steamboats and country boats belonging to the fishermen of Tamil Nadu. The fisherfolk demanded appropriate compensation from the central government as well as the Tamil Nadu government for any damage found on barges and country boats. The protest was staged by the Fishermen of Rameswaram and the Pampan All Fishermen Federation near the Rameswaram bus station. They further demanded that they should be allowed to fish in the traditional Kachchthivu area without any problem. The protest also saw the presence of local leaders, including Ramanathapuram Assembly Member Katharpatsa Muthuramalingam, Tamil Nadu Aquaculture Association President Gauthaman, Fishermen Congress National President Armstrong, Kanyakumari MP Vijayvasant, Tirunelveli MP Robert Bruce, Congress Legislative Party Leader Rajeskumar, former Mandapam Union Secretary V.C. Kanagarajan, Rameswaram Municipal Chairman Nazarkhan, along with thousands of fishermen, fisherwomen.' On Thursday, July 11, the Sri Lankan Navy apprehended 13 Indian fishermen and seized three boats near Delft Island in the Palk Bay Sea area of the Indian Ocean early in the morning. In another incident on Monday, July 1, the Sri Lankan Navy apprehended 26 Indian fishermen and also seized four boats from the Palk Bay Sea area. The fishermen had gone fishing from Pamban in the Rameswaram Island area near the Palk Bay sea area. Commenting on the situation of Indian fishermen being arrested by Sri Lankan authorities, Sri Lanka's State Minister of Foreign Affairs Tharaka Balasuriya said, "This is a persistent problem. But I also think that especially the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and the people of Tamil Nadu should realise that the people in the north and east have suffered the most during the war. After 30 years' war, for 30 years they suffered because of the war." (ANI)
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