Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K.Stalin has appealed to the Centre  to take necessary steps to secure the release of 19 fishermen from Sri Lankan prisons.

In a  letter to the Minister for External  Affairs Dr. Jaishankar on Monday (07 August 2023), Stalin  expressed concern on the plight of the fishermen and pointed out that 34 fishermen have been arrested in three different instances in the past thirty days.  The Chief Minister said that the livelihood of the fishermen in the State have been affected as episodes of arrest continued. He requested Dr.Jaishankar to intervene immediately and pursue through diplomatic channels to find a lasting solution to the fishermen issue.

Ten fishermen from Tamilnadu were arrested by the Srilankan Navy today morning. They were apprehended  while they were fishing 41 nautical miles near Kodiyakarai by the Sri Lankan Navy. Their boats were also seized and brought to Trincomalee.