Attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen by Sri Lankan navy

Am posting this new thread dedicated to tamil fishermen who venture into seas for their daily bread are facing lots of threats from srilanka(small island nation) navy who used to attack fishermen in the past citing LTTE as reason but lankan govenment itself declared LTTE defeated and war on LTTE is over but still the sufferings of fishermen in the hands of atrocious sri lankan navy was not over,i request all members to give your suggestions and tips to overcome this problem and also to make central govenment to take action instead of words.All news related to tamil people in srilanka and fishermen can be discussed here

Twenty-four fishermen from Keechchaangkuppam in Naakarkoayil area in Tamil Nadu, fishing in Kanniyaakumari seas in five boats Friday night, were brutally assaulted and cast naked in the seas by Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) soldiers, sources in Naakarkoayil said. SLN soldiers had beaten the fishermen on their heads with the ice blocks taken by the fishermen to preserve their catch, the sources added. Fishermen in the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu saved the 24 fishermen who managed to swim ashore Saturday morning and admitted them in the local hospital, the sources further said.

The SLN soldiers had threatened to open fire on the fishermen, driving them into the sea, the sources said.

Their clothes, fishing nets, outboard motors, ice knives and the fish they had caught had all been confiscated by the SLN soldiers, the fishermen said.

Tension prevails among the fishermen in the coast of Tamil Nadu.

Tamil Nadu fishermen had just called off their continued boycott of fishing demanding Tamil Nadu government to take action against SLN for shooting fishermen from Tamil Nadu side of the seas.

Their fellow fishermen being assaulted and driven naked has aroused the fury of Tamil Nadu fishermen.

Colombo government is encouraged by the appeasement policy of Karunanidhi government of Tamil Nadu 'not to anger the Sinhalese', commented fishermen circles in Tamil Nadu.

PMK founder S Ramadoss on Monday asked Chief Minister M Karunanidhi to urge the Centre to withdraw the 1976 order banning Indian fishermen from fishing along Katchatheevu.
Referring to the attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen who went near Katchatheevu, Ramadoss said, the 1976 agreement between India and Sri Lanka ensured fishing rights for Tamil fishermen along Katchatheevu even after the island was gifted to Lanka.
But the rights were cancelled during an officials meet later and this is the root cause of all problems faced by fishermen after 1976, he added.
Rameswar am fishermen , who ventured into the sea following three-week long strike, were attacked on the first day itself, despite government’s assurance of safety to theirs lives and boats.
According to him, whenever the Lankan Navy attacked fishermen, the Central and State have been adopting some formal procedures like ‘writing to’ the Lankan government, but it would not be sufficient.
With Arignar Anna’s birth centenary being celebrated now, Ramdoss recalled that when assumed office in 1967, Anna had called for observing Demand Day to bring to the notice of the Centre the requirements of TN. Now, Karunanidhi should urge the Centre to withdraw the 1976 order, which it would only be a befitting offering to the late leader.
source

Thats true, we should take some action against these SLN, who are free and does not any work after LTTE being destroyed , now their only enemy is India, they may feel as India is threat, so still they are buying weapons from China and Pak.

The lankans are asking for it.........the govt should allow the ban of LTTE to lapse,that should keep them earnest.

That would create conditions ideal for a PLAN base in Sri Lanka.

No midget base will be good enough if India is keen on LTTE-II,god fearing lankans know that very well.

Yeah, but India can ill-afford another 'midget base' in its proximity.

whether goi supports their atrocious attack against tn fishermen or not sl will be with china and our attitude wont help in preventing commercial port by china
i request members to concentrate on tn fishermen sorry indians sufferings

And the Lions of Colombo can ill afford another bunch a tigers(only with better claws and somewhat wiser)

ya if the Cyelonese dont get to grips with what its doing we can always stop play the "Good nieghbour"

What is the logic to drag it to Tiger-Lion fight. Srilanka is considered as a friendly country and India must address the Tamil Nadu fishermen problem properly to get it solved. In hostality fishermen from both countries will suffer. Armed soldiers often bully on poor and helpless people. Similar complains often come even against our security force too. So Indian high command must put the issue infront of Srilankan Gvt and ask for immediate redressal if possible punishment to the miscreants. If India put some weight in it Srilanka is bound to take some action. But being too much agressive will give wrong message to our smaller neighbours.

( And plese before getting scared of Chinese base on Srilanka give a visit to reletated threads in Navy section. It will help.)

This one is old report but give some insight about the problem.

Tamil Nadu fishermen: A neglected lot

by Syed Ali Mujtaba



THE bourgeoning problems of Tamil Nadu fishermen have very few takers in the State and the country. Chennai seems to be far from Nagapattinam,Ramanathapuram, Thuthukudi or Kanyakumari, the hub of fishing activity in the State and New Delhi is almost a distant planet from there. Those in the mandarins of power, instead of solving the problems of the fishermen, are asking them to change their profession, something that is hard for them to accept. Tamil Nadu fishermen's demands have been put up in a 42-point charter, which includes implementation of the Murari Committee recommendations.

Among other things it wants, formulation of proper marine fishing regulations in the exclusive economic zone, a savings-cum-relief scheme for fishermen, subsidised fuel and withdrawal of the Aquaculture Authority Bill by the Centre. The fishing regulations are also one of the contentious issues, which they want to be repealed. As of now, the fishermen are allowed to venture into the sea from 5 am to 9 pm for three days in a week. Bad weather conditions keep them shore-bound for 45 days in a year. This has led them to demand a financial aid, which they say, should be extended to their women folk as well. They had taken these demands to the Prime Minister who had promised them to accord all facilities to both the fishermen and their women folk.

However, when it comes to implementations the approach remains lukewarm.Tamil Nadu fishermen have also been demanding an extension of the fishing time which the State Government had clamped down following conflict between fishermen using mechanised boats and those in traditional country boats and catamarans. Fishermen, using traditional method, demand that mechanised boatmen should not be allowed to fish within three nautical miles of the coast and the ban should be strictly implemented. They complain that use of trawlers or mechanised boats has created havoc in the seabed destroying its flora-fauna and marine life.

The fishermen also have been demanding restoration of their fishing rights in Kachchativu Island. Under 1974 treaty, the island has gone to Sri Lanka but since then remains a bone of contention between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. Tamil Nadu government quote archival sources to claim that the island had been the propriety of Raja of Ramnad, which the Central Government has unilaterally given to Sri Lanka. State Chief Minister Jayalalitha had even vowed to retrieve the Island back by force if the negotiations fail.

Since time immemorial Tamil Nadu fishermen have been using the Kachatheevu Island for resting and drying nets. The water around the island is known for lobsters and fishermen halt in the island after laying their nets to get back to coast after collecting their catch. The island is also known for religious festivities in which Tamil Nadu fishermen have been involved since antiquity.

On certain days of the year fishermen throng the island with their families to worship at the St Anthony church. The church is revered by the fishermen and a priest from Ramnad goes there to conduct regular mass.

Since 1980s Sri Lankan navy patrol has reportedly started objecting to the Indian fishermen fishing near Kachatheevu Island. The Sri Lankan navy round-up these fishermen and take them for imprisonment. Related to this is the issue of frequent detention of fishermen by the Sri Lankan navy for alleged straying into the Sri Lankan waters. Earlier, the Tamil Nadu fishermen were asked to return but since the ethnic conflict conflagrated in the island, they
became suspect LTTE sympathisers and were shot at. Over hundred fishermen have lost their lives in such shootings by the Sri Lankan Navy. Even though shooting incidents have stopped since the beginning peace talks between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government, there is no respite to the Indian fishermen from detention and torture.

Protesting the atrocities of the Lankan fishermen, a relay demonstration was held in Rameswaram recently where the fishermen charged the Central and state government of adopting a callous attitude. Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had written several times to Prime Minister Vajpayee seeking his intervention to find a permanent solution to this regular standoff.

Recently, a new dimension has been added into the arrest of the Tamil Nadu fishermen for straying into Sri Lankan waters. They instead of being rounded by Sri Lankan Navy are first being held by the LTTE, who are levying fine and penalties and then handing them over to the Sri Lankan authorities. The fact is that LTTE has intensified its patrolling in the Palk Bay. The fear is if this remains unchecked the Indian government has to approach the LTTE soon for release of its fishermen.

The problem in the Pak Bay is overfishing and pollution that has led to the depletion of the fishes and ruining of its marine life. Fishing by mechanised trawler has further
accentuated the problem. Pearls, which were in plenty in and around the Gulf of Mannar and Thoothukudi city in 1960s, have lost its sheen. The number of oysters over the years has dwindled in this Pearl City and the age-old diving profession is slowly dying a natural death.

Another issue, which concerns the Tamil Nadu fishermen, is the grandiose Sethusamudram project linking the Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar on the East Coast by creating a shipping canal through the Rameswaram Island. Green lobbies have questioned the environmental impact of the project since it involves extensive dredging of the Pamban channel where coral fish abound. The Sri Lankan Government has also communicated its opposition to the project because of its perceived threat to the marine life in the territorial waters along the Pamban Channel. A pre-feasibility study, carried out by the Union Government, had established that the project is economically viable and suggests that it will take into account the views of the environmentalists while framing its final recommendations. The Government of Tamil Nadu has also been pressing the Centre to take up this project on priority basis. However, there is no clarity as to how much Sethusamudram project would help or affect the fishermen. If one goes by the hype of the shipping activity that Sethusamudram project may generate, it is clear that there may hardly be any scope for efflorescent fishing activities taking place after that.

The problems faced by Indian fisherfolk all over India's aquatic borders is quite well known. The fundamental issue here which needs to be adressed is the concept of fisheries itself. India has to organize, reinvigorate and develop its subsistence sectors such as agriculture and fisheries. This of course will require massive government, private and civilian cooperation in programs at scales unlike ever seen before.

Other than charting, mapping and setting specific fisheries zones; licensing and regulatory mechanisms, credit has to be availed to successful fishermen to acquire technologically advanced vessels with GPS units and communication devices. There should also be a strong move to take people away from overburdened sectors by giving them incentives and training to work in a modernized supportive sector surrounding infrastructure and supply chains so that overall productivity and market value is increased. With productivity and value in mind, any investments put into reforming these sectors is bound to pay off in abundance.

energon i have to make you clear in one thing clear that even pakistan is not cruel like srilankan navy and i have heard that pakistan navy is releasing indian fishermen after illegal intrusion but srilanka cant be compared with pakistan itself
my personal:
when srilanka plays against pakistan in cricket ,then i used to support pakistan