Congress MP Manickam Tagore urges Jaishankar to secure release of 11 fishermen detained by Sri Lanka
New Delhi, August 8
Congress MP Manickam Tagore has urged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to intervene through diplomatic channels for the immediate release and safe return of 11 Indian fishermen apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy near the Neduntheevu islet.
In a letter to Jaishankar, Tagore said the fishermen, from Rameswaram, Pamban, Thangachimadam and Kerala, were apprehended in the early hours of August 6 after their fishing boat developed a technical snag while they were at sea.
According to Tagore, the fishermen had set sail after receiving tokens from the Rameswaram jetty. He said the boat, owned by a person named Ramesh, developed a severe technical problem during fishing, causing the vessel to lose control and drift into Sri Lankan waters.
Tagore urged the External Affairs Ministry to direct the High Commission of India in Colombo to coordinate with Sri Lankan authorities for the immediate release and repatriation of all 11 fishermen.
He specifically mentioned Rohan, 35, from Kerala, among those detained and sought their safe return.
The Congress MP also requested the government to facilitate the recovery and return of the fishing boat to its owner.
In his letter, Tagore said such incidents cause distress to coastal communities and claimed that mechanical failures could be misconstrued as deliberate crossings of maritime boundaries.
He urged the Centre to work with Sri Lanka to establish a bilateral protocol for dealing with cases where fishing vessels cross maritime boundaries due to technical breakdowns or natural drift.
Tagore said such a mechanism would help address incidents involving fishermen who unintentionally cross maritime boundaries under circumstances beyond their control.
The MP requested "immediate release and safe return" of the detained fishermen and called for the safe recovery and repatriation of the fishing vessel.
"I look forward to your swift intervention in securing the early release of our seafarers," Tagore said in his letter to Jaishankar.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Why does this keep happening? Every few months we hear about Indian fishermen being detained by Sri Lanka or Pakistan. The government needs to sit down with these nations and create a permanent solution. These are just poor fishermen trying to make a living, not spies or smugglers. The distress on coastal communities is immense - they lose income, boats, and sometimes even their lives.
It's sad that a technical snag can lead to such a serious situation. I appreciate Mr. Tagore raising this in the right manner - through diplomatic channels. Sri Lanka should show more compassion when boats drift due to mechanical issues, not treat these hardworking men like criminals. Hope the MEA resolves this quickly.
The fact that this keeps happening shows we need a stronger bilateral mechanism, just as Tagore suggested. Fishermen don't carry GPS trackers and small boats drift easily in rough seas. The government should provide better navigation equipment and work out a fast-track release process with Sri Lanka. These families deserve better.
It breaks my heart to think about what their families are going through right now. These men just wanted to feed their children and instead they're sitting in a foreign jail. I really hope the External Affairs Ministry takes this seriously and brings them home. Also, the boat owner Ramesh must be worried sick about his investment being stranded too. 🙏
While I appreciate the Congress MP raising this issue, why doesn't our government take precautionary measures? Better licensing, mandatory GPS tracking for all fishing vessels, and emergency protocols with neighboring countries would prevent these incidents. Instead, we're always reacting after the fact.
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