Sri Lankan Navy arrests 9 Rameswaram fishermen for fishing across the border

RAMESWARAM (Tamil Nadu): The Sri Lankan Navy on Thursday arrested nine fishermen from Rameswaram and seized their boat for allegedly fishing across the border near Katchatheevu.

According to the Coastal Security Group police, the group was part of a larger contingent of 297 fishing boats that had set out from the Rameswaram Port on August 12 after being issued formal fishing permits. The seized vessel, registered as IND TN 10 MM 329, is owned by P Wellington, a resident of Thangachimadam Raja Nagar.

The nine arrested fishermen have been identified as J Janathan (45), A Anthony Pichai (38), K Vellaichamy (51), M Prabhu (43), Arogya Jeniston (25), P Stevin (30), M Donbosco (55), V Arogya Devin (31), and Subbaiah (52). Following the arrest, the fishermen were taken to the Thalaimannar Naval Camp by the Sri Lankan Navy for further questioning.

Following the arrest of nine fishermen from Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu Fisheries Minister Srinath on Thursday said that he will visit Delhi next week to take up the issue with the Union Minister of External Affairs, S Jaishankar, and the Union Minister of Fisheries, Rajiv Ranjan Singh.

Speaking to reporters at the Thoothukudi Airport, he stated that talks regarding the Tamil Nadu fishermen’s issue are ongoing and that he has discussed the matter with the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

“Talks underway, next week we will visit Delhi to meet EAM over Tamil Nadu fishermen being arrested by Sri Lankan govt.”

– TN Minister Srinath pic.twitter.com/sUxVQoj21z

— News Arena India (@NewsArenaIndia) August 13, 2026

He further added, “Next week, we will go to Delhi and meet the Union Minister of External Affairs and the Union Minister of Fisheries to discuss measures to prevent the arrest of Tamil Nadu fishermen. A positive outcome will be reached soon.”

The minister also mentioned that various beneficial schemes for fishermen will be included in the demand for grants for the Fisheries Department. He stated that several schemes aimed at benefiting fishermen have been evaluated, and discussions have been held with the Chief Minister and the Finance Minister regarding them.

“Many good schemes will be included in the demand for grants to fully benefit fishermen in a suitable manner,” Minister Srinath said.

On the demand of Thoothukudi mechanized boat fishermen to grant permission for deep-sea fishing, the Minister responded that this request too has been included in the Fisheries Department’s demand for grants, and an announcement regarding it will be made during the session.

Regarding the water scarcity issue in Thoothukudi, the Minister assured, “The drinking water issue in Thoothukudi will be completely resolved within a couple of days,” adding that repair works are underway for damaged water pipelines in certain areas, and regular water supply has already resumed in several locations.

On August 6, in a separate incident, 11 Indian fishermen were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy near the Neduntheevu islet, after their fishing boat developed a technical snag while they were at sea, according to Congress MP Manickam Tagore.

Tagore urged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to intervene through diplomatic channels for the immediate release and safe return of the fishermen.

In a letter to Jaishankar, Tagore said the fishermen from Rameswaram, Pamban, Thangachimadam, and Keralam were apprehended in the early hours of August 6. 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.

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 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)