Fishermen conflict: Looking from the other side of the Palk Bay
1 week, 2 days ago

Fishermen conflict: Looking from the other side of the Palk Bay

New Indian Express  

The umbilical cord When asked about the furore in Tamil Nadu triggered by the continuous arrests of Indian fishermen and seizure of their boats by the Sri Lankan Navy, Ravichandrarasa said they feel sorry for those getting arrested since most of them are poor daily wage labourers and not wealthy boat owners. “Thoppul kodi uravu”, which means connected through the umbilical cord, was a term brought up invariably in all conversations TNIE had with the fishing community in Mullaitivu and Jaffna districts, to highlight the cultural ties between the Tamil-speaking people of both countries and to stress how they are being betrayed in the name of such a relationship. The fisherfolk in the Tamil-speaking northern province of Sri Lanka are yet to recover from the armed ethnic conflict that lasted for over three decades and ended with the final Eelam War in 2009. Of these, only 141 operate from the northern coastal districts of Mannar, Jaffna, Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi even though this region accounts for 27% of the country’s fishing households.

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History of this topic

Bottom trawling by Indian fishermen must stop: Sri Lanka’s Fisheries Minister
1 week, 3 days ago

Bottom trawling by Indian fishermen must stop: Sri Lanka’s Fisheries Minister

The Hindu  

The enduring fisheries conflict in the Palk Bay — which impacts fisher folk of northern Sri Lanka and daily wage fishermen of Tamil Nadu — can be decisively resolved only if the Indian side stops using the destructive bottom-trawling method, according to Sri Lanka’s Minister of Fisheries Ramalingam Chandrasekar. Solving the Indo-Lanka fisheries conflict is part of the NPP government’s …

Sri Lanka Navy arrests four Indian fishermen and seizes trawler for poaching
6 months ago

Sri Lanka Navy arrests four Indian fishermen and seizes trawler for poaching

Hindustan Times  

Four Indian fishermen were arrested and their trawler seized early on Tuesday by the Sri Lanka Navy for allegedly poaching in the island nation’s waters, taking the total number of such arrests to more than 180 this year. Representative Image: Sri Lanka Navy arrests four Indian fishermen and seizes trawler for poaching “In the latest incident of alleged poaching by …

Decoding India-Sri Lanka fishermen issue: A visual guide
9 months ago

Decoding India-Sri Lanka fishermen issue: A visual guide

India Today  

With general elections approaching, the issue of sporadic arrests of Indian fishermen is heating up in Tamil Nadu’s political arena. “The problem has three interrelated facets: disagreements over Kachchatheevu ; poaching by Indian fishers in Sri Lankan waters; and their use of trawlers, which worsens the crisis,” writes Sohani Bose in a paper for the Observer Research Foundation. According to …

Unending woes: The Hindu Editorial on bottom trawling and the arrests of Indian fishermen by Sri Lanka
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Unending woes: The Hindu Editorial on bottom trawling and the arrests of Indian fishermen by Sri Lanka

The Hindu  

The continuing arrests of fishermen from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry by the Sri Lankan Navy in the Palk Bay, despite diplomatic interventions at the highest level, and the attacks on them mid-sea by armed civilians are a matter of serious concern. No doubt, Sri Lanka is under pressure from its northern province fishermen to act against Tamil Nadu fishermen, who …

Tamil Nadu: Sri Lankan Navy apprehends 23 fishermen from Rameswaram
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Tamil Nadu: Sri Lankan Navy apprehends 23 fishermen from Rameswaram

India TV News  

Tamil Nadu news: A total of 23 Indian fishermen and two boats were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy from Rameswaram, officials said today. "Sri Lankan Navy arrived there and apprehended two boats and 23 fishermen from Rameswaram fishing boats and took them to Myalati Naval Camp, Jaffna for investigation," they said. Last month, the Sri Lankan Navy apprehended 18 …

18 fishermen from Tamil Nadu’s Ramanathapuram held by Sri Lankan Navy
11 months ago

18 fishermen from Tamil Nadu’s Ramanathapuram held by Sri Lankan Navy

The Hindu  

The Sri Lankan Navy arrested 18 fishermen from Pamban and impounded two mechanised boats in mid-sea along the Palk Bay on charges of poaching on Tuesday night. The surveillance team of the Sri Lankan Navy had intercepted them around 7 pm on Tuesday and after preliminary probe took 18 fishermen into custody and also confiscated their two boats. Our families …

133 Boats of Tamil Fishermen in Lankan Custody: CM Tells Jaishankar
1 year ago

133 Boats of Tamil Fishermen in Lankan Custody: CM Tells Jaishankar

Deccan Chronicle  

Chennai: Chief Minister M K Stalin urged the Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to secure the release of the 21 fishermen from Tamil Nadu, who were arrested on Wednesday by the Sri Lankan Navy personnel, and also the 133 fishing boats held by them. ‘I would like to draw your immediate attention to yet another instance of the arrest …

Sri Lankan Navy arrests 22 more Indian fishers
1 year, 1 month ago

Sri Lankan Navy arrests 22 more Indian fishers

New Indian Express  

RAMANATHAPURAM: The Sri Lankan Navy has apprehended 22 Indian fishermen, who were aboard two country boats, hailing from Pamban area in Ramanathapuram, for allegedly violating the IMBL. While the boats were engaged in fishing near the IMBL, the Sri Lankan navy chased away a cluster of Indian boats. It is alleged that two of the boats continued fishing in the …

Sri Lankan Navy arrests 22 Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu’s Ramanathapuram district, seizes 2 boats
1 year, 1 month ago

Sri Lankan Navy arrests 22 Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu’s Ramanathapuram district, seizes 2 boats

The Hindu  

In yet another fresh incident, the Sri Lankan Navy personnel arrested 22 fishermen from Pamban and Thangachimadam in Ramanathapuram district on charges of poaching and impounded two country boats, on Saturday. According to official sources in the Fisheries Department, the Sri Lankan Navy personnel had detained the fishermen under charges of poaching into their waters. Denying it, fishermen leader Rayappan, …

Sri Lanka releases 42 Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu; likely to reach home in four days
1 year, 1 month ago

Sri Lanka releases 42 Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu; likely to reach home in four days

The Hindu  

A total of 42 fishermen hailing from Tamil Nadu were released from the prisons in Sri Lanka and are expected to reach home in about four days, said fishermen association leader P. Jesu Raja on November 13. In three different incidents in October, the Sri Lankan Navy personnel had arrested 64 fishermen and impounded 10 of their mechanised boats on …

Sri Lankan Navy arrests 27 Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu
1 year, 2 months ago

Sri Lankan Navy arrests 27 Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu

The Hindu  

The Sri Lankan Navy arrested 27 fishermen from Tamil Nadu and impounded five of their mechanised boats on charges of crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line while they were reportedly fishing along the Palk Bay on October 14. Around 6 p.m., 27 fishermen, who were fishing near Katchatheevu and Neduntheevu, were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy personnel and taken …

Tamil Nadu fishermen face peril on the high seas
1 year, 3 months ago

Tamil Nadu fishermen face peril on the high seas

The Hindu  

A series of brutal mid-sea attacks by assailants, suspected to be from Sri Lanka, has left fishers in Tamil Nadu seething with anger. The Vedaranyam Marine Police have since registered five cases on charges of attempted robbery, dacoity, and attempt to cause death or grievous hurt against 46 unidentified Tamil and Sinhalese-speaking Sri Lankan nationals. Stalin wrote a letter to …

Sri Lankan Navy arrests nine fishermen from Tamil Nadu, seizes 2 boats
1 year, 4 months ago

Sri Lankan Navy arrests nine fishermen from Tamil Nadu, seizes 2 boats

The Hindu  

Nine fishermen from Mandapam, in Ramanathapuram district, who had ventured into the sea on Monday, July 24, 2023, were arrested by Sri Lankan Navy personnel on charges of poaching in the early hours of Tuesday. However, the Sri Lankan Navy detained the fishermen on charges of poaching in Sri Lankan waters and took them to the Kankesanthurai Port. It may …

Tamil Nadu: Sri Lankan Navy arrests 22 Indian fishermen, seizes four boats
1 year, 6 months ago

Tamil Nadu: Sri Lankan Navy arrests 22 Indian fishermen, seizes four boats

India TV News  

Tamil Nadu: The Sri Lankan navy has arrested around 22 Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu for allegedly fishing in its waters. in addition, the Sri Lankan Navy has also seized four boats. In a tweet, he said, "The Sinhalese Navy has arrested 22 fishermen from Ramanathapuram district Mandapam and Pudukottai and Nagapattinam districts who were fishing in the Bay of …

16 Tamil Nadu fishermen arrested by Sri Lankan Navy
1 year, 9 months ago

16 Tamil Nadu fishermen arrested by Sri Lankan Navy

Firstpost  

The arrested fishermen were taken by the Lankan Naval personnel for handing them over to authorities in their country. Their two boats have also been seized and taken away Chennai: As many as 16 fishermen of Tamil Nadu, who were fishing near the Palk Strait, were arrested on Sunday by the Sri Lankan Navy, officials said. The arrested fishermen were …

Indian fishermen back again and ‘crushing’ our livelihoods, say Sri Lankan counterparts
2 years, 5 months ago

Indian fishermen back again and ‘crushing’ our livelihoods, say Sri Lankan counterparts

The Hindu  

Just after Tamil Nadu’s annual fishing ban ended mid-June, Indian fishing trawlers are back near Sri Lanka’s northern coast, “crushing” fishermen’s livelihoods that are already under enormous strain during the island’s economic crisis, according to northern Sri Lankan fisher leaders. Tamil Nadu’s annual fishing ban— to allow breeding of marine organisms— that lasts for nearly two months, usually offers some …

Fishing for workable solutions in the Palk Bay
2 years, 8 months ago

Fishing for workable solutions in the Palk Bay

The Hindu  

After a gap of 15 months, the India-Sri Lanka Joint Working Group on fisheries held its much-awaited deliberations on March 25. But between the two meetings of the JWG, a number of events — some of them unfortunate — have occurred in the Palk Bay region that encompasses India’s Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka’s Northern Province. For instance, seven fishermen …

India asks Sri Lanka to \'exercise caution\' while handling fishing boats
2 years, 8 months ago

India asks Sri Lanka to \'exercise caution\' while handling fishing boats

Deccan Chronicle  

Colombo: India has asked Sri Lanka to "exercise caution" so as to prevent any casualties in the course of crackdowns on Indian fishing boats and requested the island nation to tackle the fisheries issue based on a humanitarian approach. "The Indian side asked the relevant Sri Lankan authorities to exercise caution so as to prevent any casualties in the course …

Sri Lankan Tamil fishermen urge Chief Minister Stalin to come up with a progressive solution to conflict
2 years, 9 months ago

Sri Lankan Tamil fishermen urge Chief Minister Stalin to come up with a progressive solution to conflict

The Hindu  

Reaching out directly to the Tamil Nadu political leadership for the first time, Sri Lankan fishermen have urged Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to come up with a “progressive” solution to the fisheries conflict that affects fisherfolk in Tamil Nadu and war-hit northern Sri Lanka, and “threatens the historically strong relationship” shared by the two Tamil communities. They were referring to …

Palk Bay fisheries conflict: A tale of competing livelihoods and a depleted catch
2 years, 10 months ago

Palk Bay fisheries conflict: A tale of competing livelihoods and a depleted catch

The Hindu  

The story so far: The Sri Lankan Navy on Saturday arrested 12 Indian fishermen from Rameswaram district, Tamil Nadu, and seized two of their fishing boats on charges of engaging in illegal fishing activity. Although India and Sri Lanka agreed to divide the Strait with an imaginary boundary line in the 1970s —the International Maritime Boundary Line – Indian fishermen, …

Explainer: The never-ending problem of Tamil Nadu’s fishermen
2 years, 10 months ago

Explainer: The never-ending problem of Tamil Nadu’s fishermen

The Hindu  

The story so far: The vexatious fisheries conflict in the Palk Bay between India and Sri Lanka, especially between Tamil Nadu and Northern Province, has again acquired intensity with the Sri Lankan Navy arresting 12 fishermen of Rameswaram and impounding two boats on Saturday on the charge of poaching in the territorial waters of Sri Lanka. On hearing this, Tamil …

All at sea: India-Sri Lanka relations turn increasingly fragile
2 years, 11 months ago

All at sea: India-Sri Lanka relations turn increasingly fragile

The Hindu  

Two long-standing issues have added a new dimension to the complicated and fraught India-Sri Lanka relations. The issues are: Indian fishermen regularly crossing over to Sri Lankan waters and adopting bottom trawling method of fishing, which Sri Lankan Tamil fishermen claim ruin their livelihood; and the presence of Sri Lankan refugees in India. They are also arranging legal representation.” He …

In Tamil Nadu, a lack of political will to end the Palk Bay conflict
2 years, 11 months ago

In Tamil Nadu, a lack of political will to end the Palk Bay conflict

The Hindu  

Palk Bay, an important marine zone between south-eastern India and northern Sri Lanka, has been a source of dispute for long. The conflict between the two countries has flared up again with the arrest of 68 Indian fishermen, mostly from the Ramanathapuram and Pudukkottai districts of Tamil Nadu, by the Sri Lankan authorities between December 18 and 20 and the …

Palk Bay fishing dispute | Casting the net in a sea of conflict
3 years, 10 months ago

Palk Bay fishing dispute | Casting the net in a sea of conflict

The Hindu  

Samson Darwin was a toddler when his family fled their home in Jaffna in the 1990s, to escape the civil war that was tearing apart Sri Lanka’s north and east. Outraged by the incident, Tamil Nadu fishermen have accused the Sri Lankan Navy, which was patrolling the seas for “poaching” fishing trawlers, of killing the four men. Like Sesu Raja, …

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