Facebook icon
Twitter icon
e-mail icon

Tamil Nadu chief minister urges Modi to secure release of fishermen

The chief minister of Tamil Nadu, K Palaniswami on Saturday urged the Indian premier to secure the release of the 54 fishermen currently detained in Sri Lanka. 

“I strongly urge you to … take up the alarming and frequent abduction of our fishermen in their traditional waters with the highest authorities in the Sri Lankan government,” Mr Palaniswamy said in a letter to Mr Modi, reported The Wire

The letter is the latest in a series of letters from successive Tamil Nadu chief ministers seeking the release of fishermen from Sri Lankan detention centres. It comes just days after talks took place between the two countries in an effort to address the ongoing issue. 

“So far, in 2017, 317 Tamil Nadu fishermen and 62 fishing boats have been apprehended in 59 incidents and 263 of these fishermen have been released after considerable persuasion by the governments of India and Tamil Nadu,” the chief minister said. 

"Sri Lanka released only 36 fishing boats out of 61 fishing boats seized in 2015," he added. 

We need your support

Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.

Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view

We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.

For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.