Jayalalithaa urges Manmohan Singh to leverage diplomacy
Be decisive on Sri Lanka-fishermen row, says Jayalalithaa
Chennai: In yet another communique shot off by chief minister J. Jayalalithaa to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh regarding the Tamil fishermen issue, Jayalalithaa stated on Tuesday that over 250 Indian fishermen were languishing in Sri Lankan prisons and urged him to immediately use the diplomatic channel in a ‘concrete and decisive manner’ to secure their immediate release.
“I am at a loss for words to convey my deepest anguish and frustration over the repeated apprehension and incarceration of a large number of Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu by the Sri Lankan Navy. These continued oppressive acts have caused untold misery and hardship to the apprehended fishermen and their families,” Jayalalithaa stated.
In the most recent incident, five mechanised fishing boats with 25 fishermen belonging to Ramanathapuram district set out to fish from Mandapam South fishing base on January 2, 2014, and were nabbed by the Sri Lankan Navy on the same day.
Jayalalithaa said that the repressive Lankan Navy was establishing its authoritarian presence in Palk Bay by chasing and arresting unarmed innocent fishermen from Tamil Nadu who offer no provocation.
“These oppressive acts of the Lankan Navy on the direction of the emboldened Lankan regime have caused a great deal of suffering and coupled with the hopelessly inadequate response from the government of India have given rise to considerable resentment and angst not only amongst the fishermen community, but also amongst the entire population of Tamil Nadu,” Jayalalithaa said.