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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister urges Modi to wage ‘strong diplomatic offensive’ on Sri Lanka

The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu J Jayalalithaa urged the Indian Prime Minister to “wage a strong diplomatic offensive to uphold the rights and interests of our Indian fishermen”.

In a letter to Narendra Modi, the chief minister called on him to act on the recent arrests of fishermen from Tamil Nadu by the Sri Lankan navy. 28 fishermen and their 30 fishing boats are in Sri Lankan custody after being apprehended by the Sri Lankan security forces earlier this week.

Ms Jayalalithaa requested that Mr. Modi “intervene personally in this issue and use all diplomatic channels to ensure that our fishermen are allowed to pursue their livelihood with freedom and peace of mind in their traditional waters”.

“In spite of the several steps being taken by my Government with an accommodative frame of mind to devise a permanent solution to this sensitive livelihood issue, the situation at sea remains precarious with the dubious actions of the Sri Lankan Government,” she added.

“I have been requesting the Government of India to wage a strong diplomatic offensive to uphold the rights and interests of our Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu,” she said.

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