MADURAI: Fourteen Tamil Nadu fishermen were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy on the grounds of trespassing into the territorial waters of Sri Lanka.
A mechanised boat and a country boat, in which the fishermen sailed, were also detained.
While the mechanised boat, which bore registration- ‘IND -TN-10 MM-960’ with five fishermen, were apprehended between Talaimannar and Dhanushkodi on Monday night, the country boat with registration – ‘IND-TN-10-M0-1595’ with nine fishermen was arrested on Tuesday.
The mechanised boat set out to sea off Rameswaram on Monday after obtaining permit tokens from the Fisheries Department, and the country craft fishermen ventured into the sea on Tuesday, sources said.
Those arrested were Subbaiya Sekar (54) of Pamban, Justin Maupin (24) of Thangachimadam, Dhiraviam Simon (52) of Rameswaram, Saveriyar Adimai Denizen (38) of Pamban, Sesu Justin (52) of Thangachimadam, K Raja (44), G Anandam (49), W Murugeshan (51), S Tikeshan (24), R Murugadas (41), M Mariyappan (38), R Sathyawesh (27), S Kottesami (45) and K Balamurugan (42)
Condemning the Sri Lankan Navy for the arrest and seizure of the boat, S Emarit, secretary of Rameswaram All Mechanised Boats Fishermen Association, sought the intervention of the central government to end such problems being faced by the TN fishermen and called for a permanent solution to this never-ending problem.