Statement by External Affairs Minister Smt. Sushma Swaraj on Calling Attention Motion on Tamil Fishermen issue in Lok Sabha on December 09, 2014

Following is the text of the statement by External Affairs and Overseas affairs Minister Smt. Sushma Swaraj on Calling Attention Motion on Tamil Fishermen issue in Lok Sabha (December 09, 2014) The Minister of External Affairs and Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs (Smt. Sushma Swaraj): I rise to respond to the House on the Calling Attention Notice tabled by Hon'ble Members of Parliament Dr. P. Venugopal, Shri P. Kumar, Dr. Satyapal Singh, Dr. Jayakumar Jayavardhan and Dr. K. Gopal on the issue of "Abduction and Harassment meted out to Tamil fishermen by Sri Lankan Navy and steps taken by the Government in this regard. At the outset, let me take this opportunity to reiterate, in no uncertain terms, that Government attaches the highest importance to the safety, security and welfare of Indian fishermen. We consider the matter as essentially humanitarian in nature involving the livelihood of our fishermen community. Whenever such incidents of attack and consequent detention of our fishermen by the Sri Lankan authorities are reported, Government, through diplomatic channels, immediately takes up the matter with the Government of Sri Lanka to ensure that the Sri Lankan authorities act with restraint, our fishermen are treated in a humane and pragmatic manner and are released expeditiously. It is because of the priority attached to this issue by Government that the matter was raised at the highest level by the Hon'ble PM in his very first meeting with the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in May 2014. Both leaders, in their recent meetings in New York in September 2014 and in Kathmandu in November 2014 have reiterated the urgent need towards finding a permanent solution to the matter. I have also discussed the matter, in great detail, with the Sri Lankan External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris during his visit to New Delhi on 11 July 2014. Hon'ble Members may be well aware that the recent incident involving the apprehension and award of death sentence to five Indian fishermen on 30 October 2014 by the High Court of Colombo has been successfully resolved following sustained efforts by Government, including at the highest level, when on 19 November 2014 the President of Sri Lanka granted full remission of the sentence of all five fishermen. These five fishermen have since returned back to their families in India. Honble Members may like to note that following the October 2008 understanding between the two countries on practical arrangements to deal with bonafide India and Sri Lankan fishermen crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line, the incidents of attack have come down significantly. No loss of life of Indian Fishermen in Sri Lankan waters has been reported since April 2011. Furthermore, Government, as a result of its consistent efforts, has secured release of 706 Indian fishermen in custody of Sri Lanka in 2014. As on date, 38 India fishermen along with 82 fishing vessels are in custody of Sri Lanka on charges of fishery related violations. As I speak, we are working towards their early release and repatriation. On the institutional side, at the 4th meeting of the India-Sri Lanka Joint Working Group on Fisheries held in January 2012 in Colombo, both sides reiterated the highest priority accorded by their respective Governments to the well being, safety and security of fishermen from the two countries. Both countries agreed that the use of force could not be justified under any circumstances, and reiterated in this regard the importance of extending humane treatment to all fishermen. The newly constituted India-Sri Lanka Joint Committee on Fisheries related issues held its first meeting in New Delhi on 29 August 2014. Additionally, Fishermen Association level talks were held twice in 2014, the first in January 2014 in Chennai and the second was held on 12 May 2014 at Colombo. Relevant to the steps taken by the Government, I would like to briefly mention a recent case which occurred on 26 November 2014, when 3 of our fishermen belonging to Nagapattinam District of Tamil Nadu unknowingly drifted in their damaged boat to the Sri Lankan coast owing to inclement weather. These fishermen were rescued and provided relief alongwith repair of their fishing vessel by the Sri Lankan Navy and have been repatriated to India on December 8. Let me assure the Hon'ble Members that the Government is steadfastly working, in close cooperation, with the relevant stakeholders in finding a long term solution to this issue, which would involve migration of our fishermen to deep sea fishing. In this context I would like to mention that Government has simplified and streamlined the guidelines for fishing operations in the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone to create an enabling environment. Further for the safety and security of our fishermen, a proposal involving the development of a National AIS (Automatic Identification System) Network for effective tacking of small fishing vessels fitted with customized AIS transponders and having early warning system on International Maritime Boundary Line is also being actively explored. Government continues to remain engaged with the Government of Sri Lanka so as to ensure that fishermen on both sides can continue to pursue their livelihood in a safe, secure and sustainable manner.

Statement by External Affairs Minister Smt. Sushma Swaraj on Calling Attention Motion on Tamil Fishermen issue in Lok Sabha on December 09, 2014

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