Tamil Nadu’s fishing community expressed relief at India’s loss to Sri Lanka in the ICC T20 cricket world cup final, as a previous win was followed by attacks at sea believed to revenge by Sri Lankan navy personal, the Times of India reports.
"We were very anxious about the outcome of the match on Sunday because of that incident," said J Ashton, a boat owner in Rameswaram told the paper, referring to incidents after India defeated Sri Lanka previously, which left four fishermen from the town dead.
The fishing community told the paper the Sri Lankan Navy, bitter at the defeat, attacked Indian fishermen after the 2011 final.
Other members of Ashton’s family said that the whole fishing community was scared of the repercussions of a Sri Lankan loss every time the two countries played a match.
S Emerit, a community leader from Rameswaram, said:
"We may be called unpatriotic but others can't understand our fear if India wins. We will face the consequences at mid-sea on Monday [the day after the match].”
“We are waiting for the second round of talks between the two countries. We want to end the season on a peaceful note and the result of the T20 final is significant for us," Emerit said.