The Tamil Nadu fishermen, arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy on Saturday night, will be remanded in custody until August 6th. The twenty-three men were presented to a court in Mannar today and said to be detained at Anuradhapura prison.
Local fishermen groups in Rameswaran have urged an indefinite strike till all the fishermen are released.
B Jesuraja, the district secretary of Tamil Nadu Mechanised Boats Fishermen Association said,
"The families of those five fishermen suffer untold miseries with their breadwinners locked up in Sri Lankan prisons. Our government agencies have certified that they were not involved in drug peddling offence, yet the Sri Lankan government is not releasing them."
"Recently, Seemon (19) younger brother of Emerson, the boat owner in Sri Lankan prison committed suicide due to family problems. He was studying engineering in Chennai and the boy was struggling to pay his college fees. The families is struggling without proper income,"