Fishermen talks put off by one week

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu governm­ent has postponed the mu­ch anticipated meeting of fishermen from Sri La­nka and Tamil Nadu to Jan­ua­ry 27 based on the request from the Sri Lankan side as they were yet to finalise their list of representatives.

The meeting of the fishermen association to res­olve the issue of fishing rights in the Palk Straits was originally schedule to take place on January 20.

On January 17, the Ind­ian external affairs ministry had confirmed its re­presentatives for the meeting slated to take place in Ch­e­nnai, however in an­o­ther communication on the same day, the ministry informed that Sri Lankan fisheries minister Rajitha Senaratne had returned home only on Friday mor­ning after his visit to India.

The Sri Lankan government had, therefore, so­­u­ght time to finalise its list of fishermen represe­ntatives for the meeting and wanted postponement of the Ja­nuary 20 meeting to a later date, a state government pr­­ess release sa­id quoting external aff­airs ministry communication.

“Based on the Centre’s letter, chief minister J. Ja­y­alalithaa has directed that the talks between fis­h­ermen (association) representatives of India and Sri Lanka scheduled in Chennai on January 20 be held on January 27,” the release said, adding that the state government had co­nveyed its decision to the Union government.

With the two countries agreeing for the mutual release of fishermen from their jails, the state government had initiated steps in this regard, the release said.

On the directions of the chief minister, 113 out of 179 Sri Lankan fishermen have been released from the state jails while 173 Indians, hailing from Ta­mil Nadu and Karaikal (Pu­­ducherry) have been freed from their jails by Sri Lankan government, it said. The other Indian and Lankan fishermen still lodged in both countries’ prisons would be released shortly, the release noted.