The 29 Tamil Nadu fishermen, arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy last week, were released today, amidst strong condemnation from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, reports ColomboPage.
In a letter to the Indian Prime Minister, Jayalalithaa called for a "strong and robust" response.
“I hope that there will now be a decisive shift in the Centre’s stance under your leadership and that India will now take necessary steps to find a lasting solution to this vexatious question,” she wrote, adding that the "resumption of abductions and detentions" by Sri Lanka came as a shock to the fishermen who had begun the fishing season on Sunday after a 45 day ban.
On Monday, President Rajapaksa ordered that the 29 fishermen, arrested just days after President Rajapaksa pledged to release all detained Indian fishermen as an act of goodwill towards the newly elected Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, be released as a further demonstration of goodwill.
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