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About 250 fishermen began an indefinite fast in front of the bus stand here today, demanding the release of 14 fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan navy since June 2, and also their boats.
N J Bose, president of the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Fishermen's Association, told reporters that 19 boats in the custody of the Sri Lankan government had been totally damaged as they had been anchored and not maintained.
He charged the BJP government with not fulfiling its election promises like retrieving Katchathivu islet, allowing fishermen to fish in traditional areas, creating a separate Ministry for the fisheries department and taking steps to prevent attacks on Indian fishermen. "This is a dark period as far as the fishermen are concerned. The government should act and take steps to get the fishermen released," he said.
