Attacks on Indian Fishermen by Sri Lankan Pirates

There have been many incidents between the fishermen of Tamil Nadu and the pirates of Sri Lanka where in some cases these fishermen end up losing their boats, equipment, and also their catch for the day while in some they get seriously injured or arrested.

On Monday, three fishermen from Nagapattinam district named Nagamuthu, Rajendran, and Paneerselvam were attached mid-sea by Sri Lankan pirates. They were assaulted and then robbed of their equipment, phones, GPS tracker along with their catch of the day.  The three fishermen got their treatment done in the Vedaranyam hospital after returning to the shore.

Investigations are still in progress. The Sri Lankan navy has so far seized around 8 fishing boats and arrested around 55 fishermen on the charges of poaching.

The Tamil fishermen had been fishing in the Sri Lankan waters nearby katchatheevu island for centuries but in 1974 the island was transferred to the Sri Lankan government after an agreement signed by Indira Gandhi. Tamil Nadu government was not consulted about the agreement and hence it became an issue of concern for Tamil Nadu Fishermen.

According to the agreement the Tamil Nadu fishermen can rest and dry their nests on the island but it does not ensure any fishing rights to them. In the past few years, the Sri Lankan government had started posing a lot of restrictions and security, wherein the Indian fishermen have to pay around lakhs and crores in fine if they are caught fishing. Many fishermen are also assaulted by the Sri Lankan navy and many times shot dead or killed.

The repeated assaults and robbery have frustrated the fishermen of Tamil Nadu and so they demand that all their boats and fishermen seized by the Sri Lankan government be returned. In Ramanathapuram, the fishermen are protesting for their rights and freedom, and have also threatened to give away their Indian citizenship if nothing is done about these issues.

It is pretty understandable why these fishermen are frustrated because that’s their livelihood without which they will not have any money to educate or feed their children. It is not their fault that an agreement has gone wrong to so many levels, but something has to be done about it. These issues are critical and had to be addressed by the government of both countries.

Sources:

https://theprint.in/

https://newstodaynet.com/

https://www.dtnext.in/

https://www.thenewsminute.com/


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