Chennai: Tamil-origin fishermen in Sri Lanka have urged Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin to intervene in the ongoing conflict between the Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu with the Sri Lankan Navy.
A fishermen association across the northern districts of Jaffna, Kilinochchi, and Mullaitivu located in Northern Sri Lanka have written a joint statement to M.K. Stalin.
In the statement on Saturday, the Tamil Fishermen community requested the Chief Minister to bring up a ‘progressive’ solution to the fisheries conflict that affects the fisherfolk in Tamil Nadu.
The statement said that this conflict would affect the historical relationship between the Sri Lankan Tamil fishermen and Indian Tamil fishermen.
The fishermen leaders said, “During the war, we were displaced to various parts of Sri Lanka as well as to south India losing our land and property. We were given shelter in South India, especially Tamil Nadu and we thank the government of India and Government of Tamil Nadu for the same.”
However, two lakh people from Sri Lanka’s Tamil majority Northern province whose life depends on the fisheries sector are struggling to meet the ends after the year ended and most are debt-ridden and the new generation is totally leaving the fishing sector, the statement said.
The association also said that the main issue they were facing was the bottom trawlers used by Tamil fishermen from India. The statement said that the use of bottom trawlers typically drag large fishing nets along the seabed leading to fishing of large quantities of fishes, including prawns.
The Tamil fishermen association of Sri Lanka said that this was a destructive practice which killed other marine organisations, including larvae and impacting marine biodiversity over time.
The association in the statement said that Tamil Nadu fishermen fishing in Sri Lankan waters use a dangerous practice and frequent arrests by the Sri Lankan Navy has affected the historical relationship between Tamil Nadu fishermen and northern Sri Lankan fishermen and urged the Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to intervene in the issue and settle it out.
–IANS
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