As many as 17 fishermen, from Thangachimadam near Rameswaram, were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy while fishing near the Neduntheevu island in the early hours of Sunday. They had set sail on two boats on Saturday.
According to police sources, the registered boats, belonging to P. Selvam and S. Uyirtharaj, of Thangachimadam, had set out from the fish landing centre at Rameswaram. There were eight fishermen on one boat and nine on the other.
When they were fishing near Neduntheevu, a Sri Lankan naval patrol ship apprehended them around 3.30 a.m.
As the news of the arrests spread, the family members of those arrested, along with other fishermen, blocked the Madurai-Rameswaram Highway at Thangachimadam to register their protest.
Frequent arrests
The women relatives of the fishermen said that frequent arrests of fishermen by Sri Lanka were making their lives miserable.
“Our men venture into the sea in search of livelihood, and not for stealing. Even the smugglers are treated properly, while the fishermen are facing hardship,” said Asansia, wife of Sesuraja, one of the arrested fishermen.
Published - September 29, 2024 01:26 pm IST
