RAMANATHAPURAM: The fishing community held a sit-in protest at Rameswaram's Thangachi Madam, by boycotting ventures into the sea, urging for the release of fishermen arrested by Sri Lanka.
Two days ago, 22 fishermen from Rameswaram and Mandapam had ventured into the sea in four mechanised boats and were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy.
The community continued the strike and urged that the island nation release the 50 fishermen and their boats. Women relatives of the lodged fishermen wept, some with their infants, during the protest, with one of them briefly fainting.
Several small mechanised boats that did not participate in the strike obtained permission slips from fisheries officials and went fishing as usual.