Oppn MPs protest against arrest of Indian fisherfolk by Sri Lanka

New Delhi: 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 news agency.

“Fishermen are being tortured, harassed and killed for years and the Government does not take any concrete steps to resolve the issue. Earlier, they (Sri Lankan authorities) used to assault them and take away their catch. Recently, they have started using weapons to shoot the poor fishermen,” the Rajya Sabha member said.

He claimed the fisherfolk were scared of venturing out to sea, disrupting their livelihood.

Siva also said there was a proposal to include these fisherfolk in the Scheduled Tribe category.

DMK MP Kanimozhi said Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar several times on the matter, urging them to find a permanent solution.

“The Sri Lankan Navy has been arresting and harassing Tamil Nadu’s fishermen. Nearly 97 fishermen from Tamil Nadu have been arrested. Our Chief Minister MK Stalin has written to the prime minister, the external affairs minister,” she said.