Rameswaram fishermen begin indefinite strike condemning frequent arrests

The Hindu

2 days ago

Rameswaram fishermen began an indefinite strike condemning frequent arrests from Monday. A unanimous decision was taken by members at the All Mechanised Fishermen Consultation meeting held here on Sunday.
As part of the strike, the fishermen on August 13 would stage a protest at Thangachimadam. Following that, on the day of Independence Day, August 15, they would observe a one-day hunger strike protest. On August 19, from 3 p.m. onwards, they would go on a rail roko till the arrested fishermen were released, said the resolution of the meeting.
Jesu Raja, one of the fishermen leaders, said that post-fishing ban period, about seven mechanised boats and one country boat were seized by the Sri Lankan Navy. The 57 fishermen on board the boats were arrested and lodged in prisons, he added.
As already the families and associations were demanding the Union government to initiate a diplomatic negotiation to release the 24 convicted fishermen and the boats that were detained by the Sri Lankan government, the fresh arrests had renewed the fear of the entire community, he noted.
'The repeated arrests and attacks against the fishermen from Tamil Nadu had even made us think about discontinuing fishing job. Why should anyone work and earn money at the cost of their own lives,' he asked.
Though several plans were chalked out to address the face-off between the fishermen of the two countries in the international waters, the confrontation was yet to be resolved, he said.
'The only plausible way is to hold diplomatic talks and arrive at a solution to end the confusions pertaining to the ownership of Katchatheevu island and matters surrounding it,' he stated.
However, he said the fishermen and their families, unlike previous times, were not going to give up their protests to the false promises of the governments.