SL Navy arrests 17 TN fishermen

Rameswaram: The Sri Lankan Navy on Sunday arrested 17 fishermen along with their three boats when they were fishing near Katchatheevu, police said here.

The fishermen were taken to Talaimannar from Katchativu. Meanwhile, Fisheries Department officials said though the island nation had released the fishermen arrested earlier, their boats were yet to be released. The Naval personnel had on June 24 arrested 11 fishermen of Pudukottai district. However, they were later freed. The series of arrests of fishermen had led Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week, seeking immediate release of the fishermen. Jayalalithaa had also renewed her plea for nullifying the "unconstitutional" Indo-Sri Lankan Agreements of 1974 and 1976 and demanded that steps be taken to restore the traditional rights of Indian fishermen. She also reiterated her demand for retrieval of Katchatheevu islet ceded to Sri Lanka to protect the fishing rights of Tamil Nadu fishermen.