After more than four months in Sri Lankan custody, eleven Tamil Nadu fishermen were repatriated to Chennai on 21 May 2025, following sustained diplomatic efforts and appeals by their families and Indian government officials.
The fishermen, all residents of Rameshwaram in the Ramanathapuram district, had ventured out to sea in two mechanised boats when, in the early hours of 11 January, they were intercepted by the Sri Lankan Coast Guard. Accused of crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and engaging in illegal fishing, the men were detained, and their vessels seized.
Following their apprehension, the fishermen were produced in a Sri Lankan court, which ordered their remand. All eleven were subsequently incarcerated, and their boats impounded. Their families, alarmed by the prolonged detention, issued urgent appeals to both the state and central governments of India for intervention.
In response to the escalating concern, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin wrote directly to India's Minister of External Affairs, Dr. S. Jaishankar, urging swift and decisive action to secure the release of the detained fishermen and the return of their boats. The Tamil Nadu government has frequently raised the issue of Indian fishermen being apprehended by the Sri Lankan navy.
Diplomatic efforts were initiated by the Indian High Commission in Colombo, with officials engaging in high-level discussions with the Sri Lankan government. These negotiations bore fruit on 14 May, when a Sri Lankan court ordered the release of all eleven men and instructed that they be handed over to Indian officials.
Because the fishermen had not travelled with passports, Emergency Certificates were issued to facilitate their return. The Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka also arranged their air travel, and the group boarded an Air India flight from Colombo to Chennai.
Upon arrival at Chennai International Airport, the fishermen were received by officials from the Tamil Nadu Department of Fisheries. The state government had made arrangements for their safe return to Rameshwaram, where their families were waiting.
While the return of the fishermen was met with relief by their loved ones, the incident once again highlights the precarious situation faced by Tamil Nadu’s coastal fishing communities. Detentions of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan navy remain a recurring issue, particularly in the Palk Strait, where contested maritime boundaries and overlapping fishing grounds continue to lead to conflict.
