3 Rameswaram fishermen captured by Sri Lankan Navy, boat seized in Palkbay

RAMANATHAPURAM (Tamil Nadu): Three fishermen from Rameswaram were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy on Tuesday while fishing near Delft Island in the Palkbay Sea area. The arrested have been identified as A Shankar (53), M Arjunan (35), and S Murugesan (49).

The fishermen, who had received their fishing permits just the day before (March 17, 2025), were reportedly told by the Sri Lankan Navy that they had crossed the maritime border. The captured boat, IND-TN-10-MM-496, belongs to Thangachimadam Kennedy. Authorities are currently investigating the three men.

According to , the state secretary of the Fishermen’s Association, the arrest has stirred considerable turmoil, as the fishermen had just set out from the Rameswaram fishing port along with 403 other boats.

On March 7, the Sri Lankan Navy arrested 14 fishermen from the Pamban area for fishing across the border and took them to the Mannar Naval Base for investigation, according to the Rameswaram Fishermen Association. The Sri Lankan Navy patrolling the area arrested the fishermen belonging to Salalanga and the 14 fishermen on board for fishing across the border. They have been taken to the Mannar Naval Base for investigation.

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar last week met with a delegation of fishermen from Tamil Nadu, led by BJP state chief K Annamalai, in Delhi to discuss their concerns and explore sustainable solutions.

The delegation sought a permanent resolution to the recurring attacks on Indian fishermen in the high seas bordering Sri Lanka, along with extended sentences and heavy fines imposed on them.

Jaishankar informed them that the recent apprehension of Indian fishermen by Sri Lankan authorities would be taken up at a meeting of the Indo-Sri Lanka Joint Working Group to work out a solution.

On February 23, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin expressed concern over the increase in the capture of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy, urging the Centre to convene a Joint Working Group (JWG) to find a permanent solution to the issue. (ANI)