Fourteen fishermen from Tamil Nadu’s Ramanathapuram district were detained early on Wednesday by the Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) while fishing near Katchatheevu islet and Kalpitiya lagoon. Two boats were intercepted—one mechanised vessel carrying ten crew members and a smaller country boat with four aboard—and both were seized during the patrols. The detainees were taken to Sri Lanka and remanded into custody for legal proceedings in Jaffna’s Kankesanthurai and Puttalam ports.
This incident adds to a troubling pattern of naval enforcement actions in the region. Earlier this year, in mid-July, seven fishermen were arrested under similar circumstances, and several more were detained in February. The repeated arrests have alarmed Tamil Nadu’s fishing communities, who say their livelihoods are being severely disrupted and have called for urgent government intervention.
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has written directly to India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, demanding strong diplomatic action to secure the immediate release of both the fishermen and their vessels. He emphasized the emotional and economic strain these arrests inflict on the families affected. Fishermen’s groups, too, have condemned the detentions and urged the central government to seek a lasting resolution and retrieval of seized boats.
