NEW DELHI – More than 3,500 fishermen from Indian Tamil Nadu were onTuesday chased away by the Sri Lankan Navy, which damaged some boats andsnapped the fishing nets of around 50 vessels, for allegedly fishing intheir territorial waters off the Katchatheevu islet.
The fishermen from Mandapam and this island town had ventured into the seain 680 boats on Monday and were fishing near Katchatheevu when the LankanNavy personnel came to the spot and asked them to leave, RameswaramFishermen Association president P Sesuraja said.
The naval personnel also hurled stones at the fishermen and cut the fishingnets of 50 boats, following which all the fishermen returned to the shorethis morning, he said, while seeking the Centre’s intervention to put anend to the recurring attacks on them.
Sesuraja also demanded that a jetty be set up at Kundukal, near Pamban.
The attack comes days after Tamil Nadu deputy chief minister OPanneerselvam met a team of fishermen from this town and assured them thatthe state government would take up their grievances, including the arrestsby the Sri Lankan Navy, with the Centre.
On January 7, over 4,000 fishermen from here and Mandapam were chased awayby the Sri Lankan Navy which had also snapped the fishing nets of 100 boatsfor allegedly fishing off Katchatheevu.