CHENNAI: Taking note of the worsening situation due to the ongoing war in the Persian Gulf, the Union government should take immediate steps to safely repatriate Tamil fishermen and workers stranded in Iran, Israel, and Gulf countries and reunite them with their families, Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) chief coordinator Seeman urged on Wednesday.

In a statement, Seeman said it was a "historic tragedy" that fishermen from the State are forced to travel to foreign countries for fishing-related work.

Highlighting the plight of the fishermen's families, who are unable to contact their loved ones, he said they were left in tears worrying about the safety of their family members. This, he said, was extremely distressing.
He called upon the Union government to immediately intervene and ensure that the stranded fishermen and also other Tamil people who are working in Iran, Israel and Gulf nations were safely brought back to their homeland and reunited with their families.

Seeman also urged the Tamil Nadu government to speed up efforts to rescue the stranded Tamils through the Department for Welfare of Non-Resident Tamils and coordinate with Indian embassies in the countries concerned to facilitate their return.

He further demanded that both the Union and State governments should bear the entire travel expenses required to bring the Tamil people back home at the earliest.