RAMANATHAPURAM: Days after External Affairs Minister S M Krishna’s visit to Colombo, the Sri Lankan navy has detained four Rameswaram fishermen, while five others have gone missing.The skirmish also comes at a time when former President A P J Abdul Kalam is in Colombo. Totally, 672 mechanised boats set out to sea on Saturday and were set to return on Sunday, sources said. However, a snag developed in one boat, and four fishermen—Cinnaian, Selvaraj, Tamilselvan and Malaisamy—were stranded in Lankan waters, when Sri Lankan navy personnel noticed them. The navy men took them to Thalaimannar in Sri Lanka and kept them in their custody. Apart from the four detained, five other fishermen—Ramu, Rajamanickam, Pakiya Joseph, Pandy and Mariappan are reportedly missing.A tense atmosphere prevailed in the Rameswaram coastal area, even as a group of fishermen set out to trace the missing fishermen, on obtaining a search order from the fisheries department.It is said that the five missing fishermen could also have been detained by the Lankan navy. The Sri Lankan government, however, had not filed a case even against the four who are in their custody, till late evening on Sunday.During the encounter with fishermen, the Lankan navy personnel allegedly pelted stones at them, injuring Jegadeesan, 30, of Manthoppu, Rameswaram. Fishermen say the Lankan navy men routinely throw stones and empty bottles at them. Selvaraj, a fisherman from Rameswaram, told Express that the navy personnel sometimes anchor their boats across the International Maritime Boundary Line to prevent entry of Indian boats into their waters. Even during External Affairs Minister Krishna’s visit to Sri Lanka last week, the entry of Indian boats was prevented. Even as Sri Lanka and India work towards an accord on fishing, the continued attacks on TN fishermen poses a major hurdle.
Comments
0 comment