Stalin urges MEA to take steps to stop attacks on fishers

CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin has asked the Union government to take up with Sri Lankan government and prevent attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen.

Drawing the Centre’s immediate attention to the incident of attack on Indian fishermen on February 15, when a country craft bearing Registration Number IND-TN-06-MO-3051 ventured for fishing from Nambiyar Nagar fishing village (Nagappatinam district) along with six crew, CM Stalin, in his demi official letter to Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, said that while they were reportedly fishing east of Thopputhurai on February 15, about 10 Sri Lankan nationals in three fishing boats surrounded the Indian fishing boat and beaten our innocent fishermen with iron rods, sticks and knives.

“I request that Government of India may take this up with the Sri Lankan Government urgently to restrain and to take stringent action against such elements among the Sri Lankan nationals, so that similar acts of violence are not repeated in future,” CM Stalin said, before remarking, “I am pained to point out that these incidents of attacks by Sri Lankan nationals are getting frequent.

Stating that a fishermen sustained injuries to his head and left hand and five other fishermen sustained internal injuries in the attack, the CM accused the Lankan nationals of taking away materials worth about Rs 2 lakh, including walkie talkie, GPS equipment, battery and about 200 kg fish from Tamil Nadu fishermen. He said that the injured were admitted in Nagapattinam Government hospital for treatment.