Fishermen Release

CM Stalin asks Centre to convene Joint Working Group over fishermen arrest

Expressing concern over the 'alarming' rise in arrest of Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu by the Sri Lankan navy, Chief Minister M K Stalin on Sunday urged the Centre to immediately convene the Joint Working Group to find a permanent solution to the issue. The CM wrote to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, flagging the latest detention of 32 Indian fishermen and five boats by the Lankan navy. "I write this letter with a sense of deep anguish as the number of incidents of apprehensions of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy have risen alarmingly in the recent times. In the latest incident, 32 fishermen have been apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy on 23.02.2025 along with their five mechanised fishing boats...these fishermen had ventured for fishing from the Rameswaram fishing harbour on 22.02.2025," Stalin said in his letter. The apprehensions of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy are still continuing in large numbers inspite of his repeated requests to prevail

SL Navy arrests 32 Indian fishermen, seizes 5 boats for suspected poaching

The Navy has so far this year arrested 131 Indian fishermen and held 18 fishing boats for allegedly poaching in Sri Lankan waters, the statement said

Cong MP moves adjournment motion over arrest of 14 fishermen by SL Navy

Congress MP Manickam Tagore also pointed out that it is not an 'isolated incident' as in recent weeks, the Sri Lankan Navy has detained Indian fishermen on several occasions

Opposition MPs protest against arrest of Indian fishermen by Sri Lanka

Opposition MPs on Friday held a protest in the Parliament complex against Sri Lanka continuing to arrest Indian fisherfolk, and demanded that the government find a permanent solution to the issue. The protest was led by DMK, Congress and Left party MPs from Tamil Nadu and joined by parliamentarians from several other opposition parties, including Derek O'Brien of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Sudama Prasad of CPI(ML) Liberation. The protesting MPs held up placards with slogans that read "Justice For Tamil Fisherman", "Bring Back Our Fishermen", "No More Arrests", and "Tamil Nadu Fishermen Are Indians". DMK MP Tiruchi Siva said the matter of Tamil fisherfolk's arrest was a national issue as they were Indians being mistreated by Sri Lanka. "Many other parties also took part in the protest. It is an issue which should not be restricted to the state. They are Tamil fishermen, they are Indians," Siva told PTI. "Fishermen are being tortured, harassed and killed for years and the ...

5 Indian fishermen injured in firing by Sri Lankan Navy, MEA summons envoy

Five Indian fishermen sustained injuries, including two seriously, in an incident of firing by the Sri Lankan Navy in the proximity of Delft Island early Tuesday, triggering a strong reaction by India. The acting high commissioner of the island nation in New Delhi was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and a strong protest was lodged with the top diplomat. In its reaction, India said use of force is not "acceptable" under any circumstances whatsoever. "An incident of firing by the Sri Lankan Navy during the apprehension of 13 Indian fishermen in the proximity of Delft Island was reported in the early hours of this morning," it said. "Out of the 13 fishermen who were on board the fishing vessel, two have sustained serious injuries and are currently receiving treatment at the Jaffna Teaching hospital," it said. Three other fishermen received minor injuries and have been treated for the same, it added. Indian Consulate officials in Jaffna have visited the injured ...

41 Indian fishermen arrested by Sri Lankan Navy return to Chennai Airport

Earlier this month, on January 16, 15 Indian fishermen, also detained by the Sri Lankan Navy, were released and returned to Chennai

Bangladesh releases 95 Indian fishermen in reciprocal repatriation

Bangladesh on Sunday handed over to India 95 Indian fishermen while New Delhi released 90 Bangladeshi fishermen. The process of reciprocal repatriation of fishermen in each other's custody came amid frosty ties between the two countries. The decision to release the fishermen was announced by New Delhi and Dhaka on Thursday. The exchange of the fishermen was coordinated by the Indian Coast Guard and the Bangladesh Coast Guard. The Bangladeshi side handed over 95 fishermen and four fishing vessels to the Indian Coast Guard, according to an official statement. The Indian Coast Guard released 90 Bangladeshi fishermen including 12 rescued from sunken fishing boat "Kaushik", it said. "Idian fishermen are being handed over to West Bengal State fisheries authorities at South 24 Parganas post repatriation from Bangladesh," the Indian Coast Guard said in the readout. In recent months, several Indian fishermen have been arrested by Bangladesh authorities when they happened to inadvertently

TN CM Stalin urges Centre for release of 17 fishermen arrested by Sri Lanka

Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday apprised the Centre of the arrest of 17 Tamil Nadu fishermen and seizure of their two boats by Sri Lanka and called for quick steps for their release and the boats as well. Stalin, writing to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, said that 17 fishermen from Rameswaram were arrested and their two mechanised fishing boats were seized by the Sri Lankan Navy on December 24, 2024. Also, Stalin brought to Jaishankar's notice, two separate incidents of attack on fishermen from Kodiyakkarai in Nagapattinam district by 6 unidentified Sri Lankan nationals on December 20. "In this outrageous incident, three out of six fishermen who sailed in two country crafts were injured and their belongings such as GPS equipment, VHF equipment, fishing net, mobile phone and their fish catch were robbed from their fishing boats by the attackers," the CM said in his letter. Such frequent arrests and attacks made the lives of fishermen, who depend solely on fishing in t

Seven Indian fishermen died in Pakistani jails since May last year

Seven Indian fishermen have died in Pakistani jails since May last year with the latest case of death being reported three days back, authoritative sources said on Monday. The total number of Indian fishermen in Pakistan's custody is 209, they said. Out of these, 181 fishermen have already completed their six-month sentence period and their nationality has been confirmed by India, the sources said. Their repatriation to India is still awaited. Some of them have been in Pakistan's custody since 2021, they said. The consular access for 28 fishermen are still awaited from Pakistan, the sources said. The latest case of death of an Indian fisherman was reported on October 25. He has been identified as Hari, they said. No further details about him are immediately available. In September too, another Indian named Serash died of cardiac arrest at a Pakistani jail, the sources said. While Serash's mortal remains were sent to India on October 11, the body of Hari is yet to be dispatched,

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266 fishermen in foreign jails, govt trying to secure release: Rupala

As many as 266 Indian fishermen are languishing in foreign jails, the government on Tuesday said, adding that efforts are being made to secure their early release. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Parshottam Rupala said, "As per the information available with the Ministry of External Affairs, there are 266 Indian fishermen languishing in foreign jails". "There are 41 fishermen went from Tamil Nadu in Sri Lanka, 184 fishermen went from Gujarat in Pakistan, 10 fishermen in Bahrain and 31 fishermen in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," the minister said. As per the data available, 1,172 fishing boats from Gujarat and 87 fishing boats from Tamil Nadu are under the custody of Pakistan and Sri Lanka, respectively. "The Government attaches highest priority to the safety, security and welfare of Indian fishermen. As soon as cases of apprehension of Indian fishermen and their fishing boats are reported, immediate steps are taken by Indian Missions an

Prevail upon Lanka to secure release of 45 fishermen, TN CM tells Centre

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin requested the Centre on Thursday to immediately take up through appropriate diplomatic channels the apprehension of fishermen from the state with Sri Lanka and secure the release of 45 fishermen and 138 boats. Expressing "a deep sense of anguish" on yet another incident of apprehension of six Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy on December 13, he said this was the third such occurrence in a week. "Six fishermen from Jegathapattinam fishing harbour, Pudukkottai district, who ventured for fishing in a mechanised fishing boat were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy along with their fishing boat," the Chief Minister said in a letter to Union External Affairs Minister C Jaishankar, a copy of which was made available to the media here. He said the Sri Lankan Navy continued to infringe upon the traditional rights of our fishermen, and their frequent arrests have jeopardised the livelihoods of the fishermen and have instilled fear and panic in the ..

21 fishermen reach Chennai after being released from Sri Lanka prisons

A total of 64 fishermen who belong to Rameshwaram and Mandapam were arrested in three separate arrests by the Sri Lankan Navy, allegedly for cross-border fishing in the month of October

15 Tamil Nadu fishermen reached Chennai after being released from Sri Lanka

The Finance Minister spoke to the Foreign Secretary and the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka, following which the fishermen were rescued

80 fishermen released by Pak to be brought to Gujarat on Friday: Official

Eighty fishermen from different parts of Gujarat were released from a jail in Karachi in Pakistan on Thursday and a state government team from here has reached Punjab to receive them, a senior official said. They will be handed over to the state fisheries department team at the Attari-Wagah border on Friday afternoon, Gujarat Commissioner of Fisheries Nitin Sangwan said. "They belong to different parts of Gujarat. We will bring them to the state by train," Sangwan informed. "These 80 fishermen were caught by Pakistani authorities nearly three years back after accusing them of fishing in waters of that country. They had set sail from Gujarat coast at regular intervals in 2020. As per our records, there are 173 Indian fishermen languishing in Pakistani jails," said Jivan Jungi, national executive committee member of India-Pakistan People's Forum for Peace and Democracy, an NGO. In May and June, the Pakistan government had released nearly 400 Indian fishermen who were arrested under s

Indian Embassy in touch with Iran for fishermen's release: Muraleedharan

The Government of India has given the highest priority for securing the release of Indian fishermen detained by Iranian authorities for allegedly entering their waters without permission, Union Minister for External Affairs, V Muraleedharan, said here on Thursday. Seven fishermen from Kerala, three from Tamil Nadu, and a citizen of an Arab nation who went fishing from Ajman, UAE, were detained by the Iranian Navy a few days ago after they unintentionally crossed over the waters of the Middle East nation. Muraleedharan met relatives of the fishermen from Kerala at a church nearby Anchuthengu and said the External Affairs Ministry, through the Indian Embassy in Iran, got in touch with Iranian authorities soon after he was informed about the fishermen's custody in Iran. The minister said the Government of India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has experience in securing the release of Indian citizens detained by the security agencies of foreign countries for entering international ..

Pak to release 200 Indian fishermen, 3 civilian prisoners: Bhutto Zardari

Pakistan will release 200 Indian fishermen and three civilian prisoners on Friday as a humanitarian gesture, foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has announced. Last month, Pakistani authorities released 198 Indian fishermen, languishing in a prison in Karachi after being arrested for allegedly fishing illegally in the country's waters. They were handed over to India at the Wagah border. "Today, Pakistan is releasing 200 Indian fishermen and 3 civilian prisoners. Earlier, 198 Indian fishermen were repatriated on 12 May 2023," Bhutto Zardari said in a tweet. "This is in line with Pakistan's policy of not politicising humanitarian matters. Compassion should take precedence over politics," he added. Pakistan and India regularly arrest rival fishermen for violating the maritime boundary, which is poorly marked at some points.

National Fishworkers Forum urges India, Pak PMs to release 750+ prisoners

The National Fishworkers Forum on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif to release over 750 prisoners (fisher folks)

India expresses concern over detention of fishermen by Sri Lanka

India expressed concern over the detention of 68 of its fishermen from Tamil Nadu by Sri Lankan authorities and said the issue of their "early release" has been taken by its mission in Colombo

India calls on Sri Lanka for early release of 40 arrested fishermen

India on Wednesday called on Sri Lanka to ensure the early release of fishermen arrested recently on the charge of poaching in Sri Lankan waters