28 fishermen lodged in Sri Lanka prisons reunited with families

They were detained by the Sri Lankan Navy on July 10, on charges of illegal fishing in its territorial waters after crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL). 

Regional Deputy Director of Fisheries, Ramanathapuram, E Kathavarayan received the released fishermen at Madurai airport.

The fishermen had set off from the coast of Pudukkottai on July 9. Among those released, 22 were from Ramanathapuram district, four hailed from Nagapattinam, while the remaining two belonged to Jagathapattinam in Pudukkottai district.

The fishermen were released fifteen days ago, but it took a considerable time for them to get back the passports, which they did with assistance from the Indian Embassy, Kathavarayan told DTNext.

Meanwhile, the aggrieved families of five fishermen, who have been detained by the Iranian authorities, appealed to the Ramanathapuram district administration on Tuesday seeking its intervention for the early of their kin. 

In a petition submitted to Collector K Veera Raghava Rao, they said a total of six fishermen including one from Thoothukudi, working for a Dubai-based contractor, had ventured into the sea on September 1. Subsequently, they were arrested by the Iran Navy for fishing in foreign territory. 

The families also requested the State government to offer them a financial compensation considering their economically poor background.