Latest news with #InternationalMaritimeBoundaryLine
New Indian Express
6 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
7K Rameswaram fishers to go on indefinite strike from today, fast on I-Day
RAMANATHAPURAM: A day after the Sri Lankan Navy arrested seven Tamil fishermen hailing from Ramanathapuram district for alleged violation of the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), Rameswaram fishermen associations on Sunday announced a series of protests, including an indefinite strike from Monday and a hunger strike on Independence Day, demanding the union government to take action to address their long-pending issues. After holding a meeting in Rameswaram on Sunday, they announced that over 7,000 fishermen will take part in the indefinite strike, with over 700 boats staying ashore. The fishermen will also stage a protest at Thangachimadam in Rameswaram, on August 13, ahead of the hunger strike on August 15. 'If the centre fails to address our issues by then, fishermen will stage an indefinite rail roko in Rameswaram on August 19 (evening hours),' the association said. In the wake of the continued arrests of fishermen, the associations demanded the union government to host bilateral talks with the SL government to retrieve the fishing rights near Katchatheevu island, and urged to secure the release of the Indian fishing boats confiscated by the SL Nnavy over the years. For those boats which could not be salvaged, the centre should provide relief, they added. According to R Jesu Raj, a fishermen association leader from Rameswaram, as many as 61 Indian fishermen have been arrested by the SL navy for alleged IMBL violation since June 15 (when the annual 61-day fishing ban ended), this year. Stating that all the arrested fishers have not been released yet, Jesu Raj urged the centre to take action to ensure the release of all Indian fishermen in SL prisons. Fishermen association leader R Sagayam said, 'If our issues cannot be addressed, then the centre should buy our boats and provide us with financial aid, so that we can give up fishing and search for other jobs.'
New Indian Express
10-08-2025
- New Indian Express
Seven Indian fishers arrested by Sri Lankan navy for IMBL violation, boat seized
RAMANATHAPURAM: A patrol unit of the Sri Lankan navy seized a boat and arrested seven fishermen – all hailing from Thangachimadam in Rameswaram –- for allegedly violating the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) on Saturday afternoon. Following the arrest, over 100 fishermen, including the family members of the arrested, staged a road blockade protest on Rameswaram-Madurai national highway near Thangachimadam. The seven fishermen -- A Dullas (56), D Slydon (26), J Arul Robert (53), S Loyolan (45), K Arokiya Sonrin (20), A Baskar (45) and R Jesu Raja (32) -- have been taken to Mannar port in Sri Lanka for further legal proceedings. Sources said the fishermen, along with over 300 other vessels, had ventured into the sea from Thangachimadam port earlier on Saturday. While fishing near the IMBL, the boat allegedly entered the Sri Lankan waters near Katchatheevu. A patrol unit of the Lankan navy caught the boat – owned by Irudhaya Douglas – and arrested the seven on board the vessel. The details of the fishermen have been sent to the Tamil Nadu fisheries department, added arrest sparked the fishermen community to stage a protest, which went on till Saturday evening near Thangachimadam. The tourist footfall was high as it was a weekend, and the protest resulted in a tailback for a five-kilometre stretch in the highway. The protesters demanded the release of all the fishermen who have been arrested so far by the island nation. After officials assured them of action, the protesting fishermen disbursed late in the evening. Sagayam, leader of a fishermen association, condemned the continued arrests of Indian fishermen by the SL navy and urged the union government to take action to address the persisting issues. Notably, since the annual fishing ban was lifted on June 15, as many as 61 fishermen have been arrested by the Sri Lankan navy for allegedly violating the IMBL, and all of them belong to Ramanathapuram district.
