PM urged to intervene & secure release of 23 Indian fishermen

Referring to the latest incident where the island republic's Navy had arrested 23 Tamil Nadu fishermen 'who accidentally strayed into Sri Lankan waters,'she said she was 'distressed' and sought Prime minister's intervention for their immediate release.

"I am distressed to note that the Sri Lankan Navy has again taken into custody 23 fishermen along with five boats because they strayed accidentally into Sri Lankan waters. I seek your kind intervention in this issue and request you to ensure that the Sri Lankan Government releases the fishermen immediately," she said in a letter to Singh.
She recalled Singh's intervention in May 2011 for release of four fishermen arrested by Sri Lanka after their boat capsized and thanked him for it.

"I wish to reiterate that the frequent incidents of arrest and detention of Tamil Nadu fishermen crossing International Maritime Boundary Line which is very close to the shore off Rameswaram in Palk Bay area, is worrisome. This also creates a lot of tension and unrest among fishermen in Tamil Nadu. She recalled that she had discussed this issue when she called on the Prime Minister at Delhi on June 14. "I also discussed the issue with National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon on two occasions, once when he called on me before leaving for Colombo on June 9 and again during our discussions on June 14," she said.

The Lankan Navy had detained 23 Indian fishermen hailing from Rameswaram and Mandapam when they were fishing mid-sea.