We feel let down by Centre and T.N. both, say striking fishermen in Rameswaram

Fishermen and the families of those arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy staged a demonstration on Tuesday; they demanded the release of 22 fishers, including a teenage boy who were arrested recently, as well as the return of their boats; they have appealed to the State and Centre for help

Expressing their anguish over the frequent arrests by Sri Lankan Navy personnel of fishers from Tamil Nadu, the fishermen community in Rameswaram said that only Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin could redress their grievances by appealing to the Union government.

Staging a demonstration in Thangachimadam, near Rameswaram, to draw the attention of the Centre and the Tamil Nadu governments over the arrests made by the SL Navy on October 27 and November 5, they demanded the immediate release of all 22 fishermen including a 15-year-old boy, and their three mechanised boats.

Families of the arrested fishers, including women and children, also participated in the demonstration. Some of the women wept uncontrollably. “We are alone at home. We have not slept properly from the day of the arrests of our near and dear ones. Will the government help us? We have come to the streets seeking help from the people in power,” the women said.

Since 2018, the fishermen leaders claimed that they have lost count of the number of arrests that have been made. While after a month or two, the Sri Lankan government released the jailed fishermen, the boats impounded over the last four years had not been returned at all. Over 100 of these boats are docked in the island nation or are sold in public auction, the striking fishermen said. “What was the purpose in releasing the fishermen alone. Our livelihood has been deeply affected. Our debts have risen manifold,” they noted.

Speaking to reporters, fishermen leader Jesu Raja said that November 21 was observed as World Fisheries Day across the globe, but if the governments did not act on their demands the fishermen might be forced to observe it as a black day and continue their protests.

The mother of the 15-year-old boy, who too had been arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy on November 5 on charges of poaching, said, “The Sri Lankan court, after hearing my son’s plight had not sent him to jail. They have instead kept him in a house, where he is undergoing treatment for his kidney ailment. I want my son back safely. We have a lot of debt. In a bid to help overcome the crisis, he had offered to go fishing with his father, who is also jailed in Sri Lanka,” she said.

Various fishermen, who spoke at the demonstration, said that a majority of them feel neglected by the governments and also felt apprehensive to venture into the sea. “We are afraid of the Sri Lankan Navy...We are scared for our lives. Back home, our wives, mothers and children discourage us from going fishing in the Palk Bay these days,” they said.