In her letter to Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh, Ms. Jayalalithaa sought his immediate
intervention through diplomatic channels to secure the release of all
fishermen from Tamil Nadu who are in Sri Lankan custody.
“What
we in Tamil Nadu read are just press statements that all efforts would
be taken by the Government of India to ensure the early release of our
fishermen but we fail to see any concerted action,” she said.
Her letter comes in the wake of the recent arrest of 35 fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy.
Recalling
her previous letters sent to Mr. Singh, she said the government remains
a “mute spectator. It leads us to doubt whether the issue is even taken
as seriously by the Government of India as it ought to be.”
This
very “muted response” has emboldened the Sri Lankan Navy to repeatedly
arrest “our fishermen and their aggressive actions are worsening day by
day,” she said.
She said fishermen community belong
to the poorest section of society and prolonged periods of incarceration
in an alien land lead to severe mental agony and loss of livelihood.
The entire community is greatly exercised over the issue and in
particular by the “apathy” shown by the government towards their cause,
she said.
Ms. Jayalalithaa said the Centre has to
take positive and concrete steps to secure the early release of the 82
fishermen who are already in Lankan jails for months, besides the 35
arrested recently. “The deep sense of frustration and anger among the
fishermen community of Tamil Nadu against the Government of India will
only mount further,” she said.
She urged Mr. Singh to
take immediate action through diplomatic channels to secure the release
of all the fishermen from Tamil Nadu along with their boats and arrange
for their immediate repatriation.
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