Arrest of TN fishermen: Jaya writes to Modi again

Urging the Centre to take steps to secure the release of 80 Indian fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today said the root cause of the frequent arrests of the fishermen was the "unconstitutional" ceding of Katchatheevu to the Island Nation.
"The historic rights of our fishermen to fish in the traditional waters of Palk Bay are being continuously denied and the root cause of the problem is the unconstitutional ceding of Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka under the Indo-Sri Lankan agreements of 1974 and 1976," she said in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
She urged the Centre to take steps to secure the release of 80 fishermen arrested by the Lankan Navy, including 23 fishermen arrested on July 4 and 5, besides 101 boats seized by them.

"It is the stand of government of Tamil Nadu that the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) with Sri Lanka cannot be treated as settled as the matter is sub-judice.
"I reiterate that only the retrieval of Katchatheevu will ensure the restoration of the peaceful pursuit of their traditional livelihood by our fishermen in the Palk Bay," Jayalalithaa said.
Urging the Centre to impress upon the Sri Lankan government to release the fishing boats that were already in custody, she requested Modi to direct the External Affairs Ministry to initiate earnest efforts in finding a "permanent" and "pragmatic" solution to the livelihood issue of fishermen.

"I request you to direct the Ministry of External Affairs to secure the immediate release of our fishermen and their fishing boats," she said.
On July 3, Jayalalithaa had written to Modi, urging him to take steps to secure the release of five fishermen arrested by the Lankan navy on the same day on charges of fishing in its territorial waters.