The Tamil Nadu government has called for the island of Katchatheevu to be returned in order to halt Sri Lanka’s incarceration of Indian fishermen. Since Indian waters are depleted of fish, Tamil Nadu fisherman from districts such as Rameshwaram travel to Katchatheevu Island. The fishermen attempt to access the island by crossing the International Maritime Border Line (IMBL), but are stopped by the Sri Lankan Navy.
Over 80,000 fishermen directly rely on fishing in Palk Bay districts, according to the government’s policy paper, including fisherman from Ramanathapuram, Thanjavur, Pudukottai, and Nagapattinam. However, the recent arrests of Tamil Nadu fisherman by the Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly crossing the maritime border has caused problems for Indian fishermen.
The police letter stated, ‘The prolonged incarceration of our fishermen and their fishing boats by the Sri Lankan government has been causing a sense of anxiety and insecurity among the fishermen community of Tamil Nadu as a whole.’
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