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[28/09, 16:44] sekarreporter1: [28/09, 16:43] sekarreporter1: [28/09, 16:42] advt Suda: Letter to Dr. S. Jaishankar_Minister of External Affairs_28 Sept 2024.pdf
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[28/09, 16:44] sekarreporter1: MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT/ URGENT AND EMERGENCY NEED
Date: 21.09.2024
To,
Honorable Rahul Gandhi Ji,
Leader of the Opposition of Lok Sabha,
10, Janpath, New Delhi.
Sirs,
Sub :- Illegal arrest of Indian fishermen by Sri Lankan Navy – Reg:-
The arrest of any fishermen by neighboring nations is crass violation of bilateral treaties, international covenants, global human rights laws and precedence set by judicial forums across the world including the International Court of Justice (ICJ). That explains why the world does not see the rights and lives of fishermen imperiled even in conflict zones. But, sadly, it is not the case of Sri Lanka, which derives satanic pleasure in killing fishermen from Tamil Nadu, assaulting them mid-sea, seizing their fish wealth, damaging the vessels, and arresting them on unfair, illegal and unconstitutional grounds. This is an ongoing atrocity and fishermen on India’s East Coast, especially Tamil Nadu, are putting up with because of Govt of India’s friendly neighborhood policy and handling a knave neighbour like Sri Lanka with kid’s gloves.
But, the Saturday’s incident wherein 37 fishermen from the calm and law-abiding fishing villages – Poompuhar, Chandirapadi, Vanagiri, Chinnamedu and Madathukuppam – in my Mayiladuthurai constituency in
Tamil Nadu has shocked the collective conscience of the entire fishing community, families of victims, activists and the right-thinking public, because fishermen from this part of our nation have never been arrested, barring one incident in the past, on charges of entering Sri Lanka’s territorial waters. It is because fishermen in these villages do not run mega trawlers. Instead, theirs is mostly fibre boat or country boats which are collectively crowd-funded by these fishing villages.
On Saturday, a total of 43 fishermen in three fishing vessels – two fibre boats and one country boats – were fishing in the Indian waters when they noticed that a Sri Lankan fishing boat with three fishermen had capsized. When fishermen from my constituency rushed to the scene, they found that already two occupants of the Sri Lankan fishing boat were dead and saw their bodies floating.
Using their own wireless telecom facility, our fishermen alerted their counterparts and authorities on the Sri Lankan side who rushed to the scene of occurrence. It is our fishermen who helped the Sri Lankan authorities to retrieve the two bodies and safely take them to the island-nation. However, after a while the Sri Lankan Navy personnel returned to the spot and illegally rounded up our fishermen.
On seeing this atrocity, out of the 43 Indian fishermen, six escaped from the scene on a fibre boat and were returning to their villages at the time of writing of this representation to your good self. However, the remaining 37 innocent fishermen and their two boats have been taken away to Sri Lanka. It is the height of atrocity on the part of Sri Lanka.
Sir, it may be noted that fishermen in this part of the East Coast never go deep into the sea nor cross the international boundary nor enter the Sri Lankan waters, for the simple reason that they have small boats and do not use the banned purse seine fishing nets. They restrict themselves well into the Indian waters and close to the shores. They have never been accused of nor arrested on charges of entering the Sri Lankan waters.
Also, each of these fibre boats cost about Rs 75 lakh and they are jointly funded by the villages, who pool in small sums collected from fishing families and run on small scale. The country boat costs about Rs 1 crore, of which the net alone is worth Rs 25 lakh. None of these boats are owned by any single person or entity. They are collectively and socially funded by the fishing community in the abovementioned fishing villages.
Therefore, taking away the boats amounts to punishing people who have crowdfunded the vessel and who have confined themselves only to Indian waters historically. In the current instance, they only alerted the Sri Lankan people and personnel about the deaths of their fishermen, and stayed there to help the Sri Lankans to retrieve the bodies and take them home safely.
Our fishermen cannot be punished for their Good Samaritan work and their families cannot be subjected to shock and despair because their breadwinners tried to do something good deep inside the sea.
Sir, this incident has shaken the high value system of these humble and innocent fishermen and shocked every right thinking person in this part of the country.
Sir, I hereby request you to do everything in your command to ensure the safe return of these illegally arrested innocent fishermen, and the safe release of their vessels, which are but the shared asset of a law-abiding community. There shall not be any delay in the release of both the fishermen and their seized vessels, as they do not have a history of entering any international waters or infringing the territorial waters of Sri Lanka.
In this incident, they were the ones who alerted the Sri Lankans about the capsize and the death of two Sri Lankan fishermen. They helped the Sri Lankan authorities to retrieve the bodies of the deceased fishermen and their honourable return to their motherland. Hence, the arrest of our fishermen and seizure of their boats amount to punishing the Good Samaritan.
Sir, in view of this illegal and criminal breach of international covenants, bilateral treaties and the rights of fishermen from my parliamentary constituency, I wish to state that if my people are not safely returned along with their boats in 48 hours, I will sit on dharna in front of the Sri Lanka Deputy High Commissioner’s office in Chennai. I shall sit on protest in true Gandhian way, along with the affected family members of the arrested fishermen, until the safe return of the innocent fishermen and their vessels.
I request your good self to invoke all power under your command to help our innocent fishermen and render justice. If there is any delay on our part, I shall not hesitate to sit on protest in front of the Sri Lanka High Commissioner’s office at Nungambakkam in Chennai, after the window period of 48 hours. I shall not rest until justice is secured for our fishermen and their distraught families.
Regards,
Yours Sincerely,
(R. Sudha) Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha),
Mayiladuthurai Parliamentary Constituency, Tamil Nadu.
