Sri Lankan govt. detains 3,550 fishermen, 706 boats in 11 years, say fishermen leaders

The Hindu

10 hours ago

'Starting from 2014, as many as 3,550 Indian fishermen and 706 boats were detained by the Sri Lankan Navy,' informed Jesu Raja, a fishermen leader.
Fisherfolk community leaders along with farmers' leaders organised a conference on 'Recover Katchatheevu,' here on Friday.
He added that of the 706 boats, Sri Lankan government has nationalised 365 boats and only 21 boats were returned.
While the arrested fishermen and captured boats before 2014 were released following the intervention of the Union governments, in the years after 2014, as the approach of the Union government towards the issue changed, Sri Lankan government's attitude towards the Indian fishermen has also changed, he noted.
The politics surrounding the island, which started since the agreement was signed between the two countries in 1974, has taken several turns in the year between, said Mr. Jesu Raja.
'In the political blame game, the one who has been bearing the brunt of the situation, were the fishermen,' he noted.
As the distance between Rameswaram and Katchatheevu island was just 16 nautical miles, the International Maritime Boundary Line starts at 14 nautical miles, he stated.
While the first three nautical miles from the shore could be accessed only by the smaller boats, the mechanised boats could fish only in the remaining areas.
'That too, the first eight nautical miles which has a dense presence of rocks is equally inaccessible. Thereby, the only area remaining area is the four nautical miles and how could the governments expect thousands of fishermen from Rameswaram, Mandapam, Pamban, Soliakudi, Jagathapuram, Kottaipatnam and Thanjvaur to compete for the scarce sea resources available there,' he questioned.
As the prime areas of fish breeding lies in the Sri Lankan side, the Indian fishermen could not even get the returns they spend on the boats and workforce, he lamented.
'But the blame lies on the Tamil fishermen who accidentally crosses the IMBL while venturing in search of fish during night times,' he said.
Due to the increase in arrests and attacks on the fishermen in the last ten years, fishing has become a dangerous occupation, Mr. Jesu Raja added.
Condemning the Union government for turning a deaf ear towards their plight, he questioned why could the BJP government which retaliates for the murder of 26 lives in Pahalgam could not even deal the problem diplomatically with Sri Lanka which was the reason for the death of more than 500 Indian fishermen.
Rajwinder Singh Golden, a farmers' leader, speaking at the event, said that the fisherfolk community akin to the farming community were being harmed equally by the ignorance of the elected governments both in State and the Union.
'The only difference between the farmers and fishermen is that one toil their life on farmlands and the other on seas,' he stated.
Even when both the sectors contributed a significant amount to the export and economic development of the nation, both were equally neglected by the governments through their anti-people policies, Mr. Rajwinder Singh Golden said.
'The solidarity that we observe with the fishermen is due to the pain we share in the hands of the governments. Through extending our support to them we assure them that we all stand together in this fight against the system which attempts to obliterate us from this country,' he stated.