Over 1,500 Tamil Nadu fishermen chased away by Lankan Navy

The fishermen from Rameswaram had ventured into sea in 383 boats yesterday and were fishing near Katchatheevu when Sri Lankan naval personnel came to the spot and drove them away, it said.

Following this, all of them returned to the shore this morning without a catch, Tamil Nadu Sea Shore Mechanised Boat Association President P Sesuraja said.

He urged the Centre to intervene and take steps to put an end to the recurring attacks on Indian fishermen and to secure the release of 133 fisher-folks languishing in the island nation's prisons.

Besides 175 boats are also in Sri Lanka's custody, Sesuraja claimed.

Meanwhile, a group of fishermen from Ramanathapuram district staged a demonstration condemning the continuing attacks on their brethren by the Sri Lankan Navy.

On January 23, about 2,000 fishermen from here were chased away by the Lankan Navy which hurled stones and snapped fishing nets of 50 boats for allegedly fishing close to their territorial waters off the Katchatheevu islet.