Sri Lanka on Friday released 40 of the 54 Tamil Nadu fishermen who were detained by the Navy there.
On Wednesday, 20 fishermen from Thangachimadam in Rameswaram, 20 from Nagapattinam and 14 from the Karaikal region had ventured into the sea for fishing. At three different locations, they were held by Sri Lankan Navy personnel in the early hours of Thursday and detained on three islands. They were informed that after the quarantine period, they would be produced before a court and sent to judicial custody.
On Friday, the All Fishermen and Mechanised Boat Operators’ Unions met at the Rameswaram jetty under the leadership of its president R. Sagayam seeking their release. Jesu Raja, a fishermen leader, warned that if the Indian government did not intervene to get them released, the fishermen would boycott the April 6 Assembly election in Tamil Nadu.
20 fishermen return
By 6.30 p.m., the 20 fishermen of Thangachimadam returned after being released by the Sri Lankan authorities.
The development came following intervention of India through its High Commission officials in Colombo.
The fishermen, who were relieved to be back, said that they were thankful to the authorities and the Indian government for swift action. They said the 20 fishermen from Nagapattinam were also released. The 14 fishermen from Karaikal would return home in a day or two, they added.
