20 TN fishermen released from Sri Lankan prison arrive in Chennai

The fishermen, who hailed from the districts of Pudukkottai, Ramanathapuram, and Tuticorin, were detained in Sri Lankan custody for more than a year.
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A total of 20 fishermen from Tamil Nadu, who were imprisoned in Sri Lanka for more than a year, have been finally released and arrived in Chennai via a flight, on January 1, 2025. The fishermen, who hailed from the districts of Pudukkottai, Ramanathapuram, and Tuticorin, were detained in Sri Lankan custody for more than a year.

After negotiations between the Indian and Sri Lankan governments, the Sri Lankan government released and handed over the fishermen to Indian Embassy officials, who provided them with temporary citizenship certificates. They were then flown from Colombo to the Chennai airport.

Upon arrival at the Chennai airport, the fishermen underwent citizenship verification, customs checks, and other formalities before being released. They were then greeted by Fisheries Department officials, who arranged for them to be taken to their hometowns in separate vehicles.

Earlier on December 24, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, MK Stalin, wrote to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar urging him to take immediate diplomatic efforts for the release of all 20 Indian fishermen from the custody of the Sri Lankan Navy along with their mechanised boats.

Stalin sought his immediate intervention in the release of 17 fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy. The Chief Minister pointed out that the mechanised boats of the fishermen were also in the custody of the Sri Lankan Navy and requested the Union Minister to immediately help secure the release.

In the letter, he pointed out that frequent arrests and attacks make the lives of ‘our’ fishermen, who depend solely on fishing in their traditional waters, highly uncertain and dangerous. He also added that 530 fishermen were arrested and 71 boats have been confiscated to date in 2024 alone and that the recent apprehensions and attacks have created a sense of fear among the fishing community.

The Chief Minister in the letter also said that he was requesting the External Affairs Minister to take concerted steps through appropriate diplomatic channels to secure the immediate release of all the arrested fishermen and their fishing boats.

Meanwhile, Minister Jaishankar had recently discussed this issue with visiting Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, highlighting the frequent arrests of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy.

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