Sri Lankan court orders release of three Thanjavur fishers, boat

CHENNAI: Three fishermen from Thanjavur who were arrested for crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) were released by the Sri Lankan court on Tuesday along with their boat. The court found that the fishers had drifted into Sri Lankan waters due to a technical snag.

The fishers – Murali (30) from Kallivayalthottam in Thanjavur, Kumar (32) from Ramanathapuram and Raja (53) from Tirumayam in Pudukkottai ventured into sea for fishing on October 16 in a country boat owned by Fayes Akram from Kallivayalthottam.

While they were fishing, the engine of their boat experienced a snag, and they drifted to Analaitivu in Jaffna. They were arrested by the Sri Lankan navy on charges of crossing the IMBL and later produced before the Sri Lankan court and were lodged in prison.

The case was in progress at the court at Kayts in Jaffna and the magistrate who heard the case ordered to release of all three fishermen and their boat safely as they were found to be innocent and had accidentally crossed the IMBL.

The information about the release of the fishers spread like wildfire among the fishers across the district. The fishermen association representatives from Tamil Nadu had interacted with their counterparts in Sri Lanka, and the plight of the three fishermen were explained to the Sri Lankan navy.

“This is for the first time, the Sri Lankan court had ordered to release the arrested fishers along with their boat and directed the Sri Lankan naval personnel to ensure dropping them in the international coastline safely, and we thank the Magistrate who passed the order,” said A Thajudeen, General Secretary of Tamil Nadu Meenavar Peravai.