Stalin writes to EAM on release of 76 TN fishermen held by Lankan Navy

Chennai, Mar 22  Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Friday wrote to Minister of
External Affairs Dr.Jaishankar to secure the immediate release of all the 76 apprehended
fishermen and their fishing boats and ensure necessary legal assistance to the fishermen
detained by Sri Lanka.
In a Demi-Official letter to Dr Jaishankar, copies of which were released to the media here,
he said "I am writing to you with grave concern regarding the recent incidents involving the
arrest and apprehension of Indian fishermen by Sri Lankan authorities."
"Over the past few weeks, there have been multiple occurrences of fishermen from India
being detained by Sri Lankan authorities, causing distress and uncertainty among their
families and communities", he said.
Mr Stalin said on Thursday, 32 fishermen from Tamil Nadu and five mechanized boats
were apprehended by the Sri Lankan navy.
In the past two weeks alone, 76 fishermen have been detained, he pointed out.
Stating that decisive action must be taken without any further delay to address this festering
issue and to ensure the safety and well-being of the affected fishermen, the Chief Minister
said further legal assistance needs to be provided for the fishermen who have been sentenced
by the Sri Lankan Courts.
"Therefore, I urge you to secure the immediate release of all our fishermen and their
boats and also to ensure necessary legal assistance to the fishermen detained by Sri
Lanka", he added.