CHENNAI: DMK Parliamentarian Kanimozhi on Friday urged the Centre to secure the release of 12 Tamil Nadu fishermen arrested by the Maldivian authorities allegedly for straying into their territorial waters.
The men hailing from Tharuvaikulam in southern Thoothukudi district were fishing in the southern Arabian Sea. After they received an alert about a cyclone on October 20, they moved for safety and accidentally ventured into Maldivian maritime territory near Thinadhoo island, leading to their arrest, she said.
In an email addressed to Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, the Thoothukudi Lok Sabha member urged him to take necessary steps to secure the release of the 12 fishermen and also their fishing boat at the earliest.
“Deeply concerned about the arrest of 12 fishermen from Tharuvaikulam in my Thoothukudi constituency by the Maldivian Coast Guard while deep-sea fishing. I request the Ministry of External Affairs of India to swiftly intervene and ensure the safe return of our fishermen,” Kanimozhi, who is DMK deputy general secretary, said posting the letter on the social media platform X.
BJP state chief K Annamalai also wrote a letter to Jaishankar requesting him to facilitate the safe and swift return of the 12 fishermen arrested on Friday by the Maldivian Coast Guard.