Congress MP writes to EAM for release of fishermen held in Sri Lanka

Congress MP Manickam Tagore urged EAM S Jaishankar for the immediate release of 11 Indian fishermen held by the Sri Lankan Navy. Their boat drifted into Sri Lankan waters due to a technical snag. Tagore also sought a bilateral protocol for such cases.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore has urged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to intervene through diplomatic channels for the immediate release and safe return of 11 Indian fishermen apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy near the Neduntheevu islet.

In a letter to Jaishankar, Tagore said the fishermen, from Rameswaram, Pamban, Thangachimadam and Kerala, were apprehended in the early hours of August 6 after their fishing boat developed a technical snag while they were at sea.

According to Tagore, the fishermen had set sail after receiving tokens from the Rameswaram jetty. He said the boat, owned by a person named Ramesh, developed a severe technical problem during fishing, causing the vessel to lose control and drift into Sri Lankan waters.

Plea for Diplomatic Action

Tagore urged the External Affairs Ministry to direct the High Commission of India in Colombo to coordinate with Sri Lankan authorities for the immediate release and repatriation of all 11 fishermen. He specifically mentioned Rohan, 35, from Kerala, among those detained and sought their safe return.

The Congress MP also requested the government to facilitate the recovery and return of the fishing boat to its owner.

Call for Bilateral Protocol

In his letter, Tagore said such incidents cause distress to coastal communities and claimed that mechanical failures could be misconstrued as deliberate crossings of maritime boundaries. He urged the Centre to work with Sri Lanka to establish a bilateral protocol for dealing with cases where fishing vessels cross maritime boundaries due to technical breakdowns or natural drift.

Tagore said such a mechanism would help address incidents involving fishermen who unintentionally cross maritime boundaries under circumstances beyond their control.

The MP requested "immediate release and safe return" of the detained fishermen and called for the safe recovery and repatriation of the fishing vessel. "I look forward to your swift intervention in securing the early release of our seafarers," Tagore said in his letter to Jaishankar.

(ANI)

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