CHENNAI: Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Tuesday urged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to take up with the Sri Lankan government the arrest of six fishermen from Ramanathapuram and secure their immediate release along with their fishing boat.

The arrested fishermen were identified as Alex, Anthoni Rajan, Santhana Alocias, Arul They Britto, Albert and Sahaya Selvashanu. The six fishermen, who are from Mandapam in Ramanathapuram, ventured into the sea on May 10 and were detained by the Sri Lankan Navy on Tuesday for allegedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line.

In a letter to the Union Minister, Vijay expressed concern over the continuing arrests of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy and said the issue was causing growing anxiety among coastal communities dependent on fishing for livelihood.

Drawing attention to the recurring nature of such incidents, Vijay noted that 54 Tamil Nadu fishermen were already lodged in Sri Lankan prisons, while 264 fishing boats had been impounded by Sri Lankan authorities. He urged the Centre to pursue the matter through diplomatic channels and ensure the fishermen and their boats were released at the earliest.