Sri Lankan Navy Detains Eight Fishermen from Pudukkottai

The Sri Lankan Navy detained eight fishermen who set sail from Jegathapattinam in the district on Monday night for alleged poaching. Fishermen have asked for government assistance, but, according to Jegathapattinam campaigner Karu Ramanathan, they need a long-term solution.

The fishermen were reportedly caught on Monday night while they were fishing 23 nautical miles off the Jegathapattinam fish landing center. The eight were reportedly detained for allegedly fishing in foreign waters, according to an announcement by the Sri Lankan Navy. Assistant Director (Pudukkottai) Chinnakuppan of the Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare Department stated that the Tamil Nadu government had been informed of the eight's arrest.

The Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was encouraged to work on the fishermen's release by Chief Minister MK Stalin. He said that apart from them, 11 fishermen and 95 fishing boats remain in the control of the Sri Lankan authorities. While expressing my gratitude for the Ministry's efforts in achieving the release of 12 fishermen from Tennessee thus far, I kindly ask you to take prompt action to secure the release of the detained fishermen and their fishing boats.

Meanwhile, up to 12 Sri Lankan Tamils, including two families, entered Dhanushkodi on Tuesday in search of safety. The Coast Guard rescued the two families from the 4th Sandbar close to Dhanushkodi and turned them over to the marine police for further investigation. Officials from the marine department claimed that the Tamils from Sri Lanka were discovered to be from the provinces of Jaffna and Batticaloa.