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A group of 25 Indian fishermen who were sent back from Sri Lanka arrived at the Chennai International Airport on Thursday.
Visuals showed the fishermen arriving at the Chennai Airport, after which they will be sent to their respective homes. The fishermen were arrested by Sri Lankan Navy on charges of crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and were released from prison. On February 23 fishermen in Rameswaram went on an indefinite strike demanding the release of all the fishermen and boats detained by the Sri Lankan Navy, the fishermen's association said. A total of 32 fishermen were arrested on February 23, and their boats were seized. Since last January, 18 boats have been seized by the Sri Lankan Navy, and 131 Tamil Nadu fishermen have been arrested. The fishermen's association held an emergency meeting near the Rameswaram fishing port on Monday. On February 23, fishermen in 440 boats went to sea from Rameswaram. While they were fishing in the Palk Bay sea area, Sri Lankan marines came to the area in a patrol boat. They caught 5 boats and apprehended 32 fishermen claiming that they were fishing across the border. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin expressed concern over the increase in the capture of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy, urging the Centre to convene a Joint Working Group (JWG) to find a permanent solution to the issue. Highlighting the recent arrest of 32 fishermen by Sri Lankan authorities, Stalin had written to the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and said that the JWG would ensure secure release of all the arrested fishermen and their boats. These fishermen had ventured out for fishing from the harbour in Rameswaram on February 22. The Tamil Nadu CM pointed out that arrests of fishermen from the state are on the rise despite repeated requests to the Sri Lankan government to prevent these arrests. He apprised about the arrests of fishermen in eight separate incidents in 2025. (ANI)
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