MADURAI: Demanding the immediate release of 27 fishermen, detained by the Sri Lankan Navy on Saturday night for cross-border fishing, many fishermen protested in front of the post office at Rameswaram in Ramanathapuram district on Wednesday.

The agitating fishermen also demanded the release of five mechanised boats that were seized after making the arrest.

P. Jesuraja, president of Ramanathapuram District All Mechanised Boat Owners Association, who led the agitation, sought the intervention of state and central government authorities to hold talks with the Sri Lankan authorities and ensure that detained boats released.

He said over hundred fishing boats bearing registration numbers of Tamil Nadu still remain in the custody of Sri Lanka and many such boats were not in condition to sail.

The government should also extend adequate compensation for such damaged boats.

As many as 700 boats remain anchored along Rameswaram jetty as the fishermen joined an indefinite strike since Monday demanding the release of detained Tamil Nadu fishermen and their boats, he said.