Jaya resents Centres soft stand on fishermen attacks

Expressing her resentment over the Centre’s soft-handling of continuous attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Monday urged Prime Minister  Manmohan Singh to take urgent action to put an end to the high-handedness of the island nation’s navy at once.

“The Lankan Navy, emboldened by the soft-handling of the issue by the Centre, has been attacking and harassing the fishermen of Tamil Nadu with impunity. The statement that ‘the use of force on fishermen cannot be justified  by any means’ remains only on paper and is  honoured more in the breach by Lankan Navy, which seems to be making a mockery of the entire diplomatic process between the two countries,” the CM said in her letter to the Prime Minister.

The Saturday attack on TN fishermen was yet another instance of the high-handedness of the Lankan Naval personnel who continuously  target the poor and innocent fishermen of Tamil Nadu while they try to eke out their livelihood by fishing, Jayalalithaa said, adding that, “I am distressed to point out again that the incidents of harassment of Indian fishermen by the Lankan Navy simply continue unabated. There is every possibility of recurrence of such incidents in the coming months and this incident reinforces our apprehension.”

The Chief Minister requested the Prime Minister to take up the issue strongly with the Lankan government and ensure that its navy strictly refrains from harassing Indian fishermen who fish in their traditional waters for their subsistence and ensure that such incidents do not recur.

Giving details about the recent attack on fishermen  from Tamil Nadu by the Sri Lankan Navy on Saturday, Jayalalithaa said that 18 fishermen from Vellapallam and Vanavanmadevi in Nagapattinam district were attacked and harassed by the Lankan Navy while they were fishing at a depth of about 15 fathoms near the Vellapallam area.

Lankan Navy personnel, besides attacking the fishermen, seized their ice boxes, food and other fishing equipment in the boats and dumped them into the sea. They also cut the nets of the fishermen and injured eight fishermen.