Indefinite strike by Tamil Nadu fishermen

RAMESWARAM: Local fishermen and their counterparts from nearby districts today launched an indefinite strike demanding, among other things, release of fishermen arrested by Lankan Navy.

Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Fishermen Organisation Secretary N J Bose said the protesters included fishermen from Ramanathapuram, Nagapattinam, Pudukottai districts and Karaikal in the Union Territory of Puducherry.

More than thousand mechanised boats in and around Rameswaram remained moored to the shore.

The fishermen also urged the Centre to hold talks with the Lankan government on allowing them to fish in traditional fishing areas besides release of Lankan fishermen arrested for fishing in Indian waters.

Yesterday, Chief Minister O Panneerselvam had in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the state government would release 30 Sri Lankan fishermen and 19 boats on December 22 and urged Modi to prevail on the island nation to take similar action at the same time to set free 66 fishermen from the state and their 81 boats.