Jayalalithaa writes to PM for Tamil Nadu fishermen

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Chennai: Expressing concern over Centre’s apathy on the continuing “menacing and predatory acts” of Sri Lankan Navy against Tamil fishermen, chief minister J. Jayalalithaa on Thursday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urging him to secure the immediate release of 49 fishermen arrested by them on Tuesday. 
 
“The GoI should convey in no uncertain terms its indignation at this latest act of abduction of innocent Indian fishermen and ensure that the Lankan Navy is  restrained from making such unprovoked assaults on innocent fishermen from Tamil Nadu,”  she said in a strong worded letter to the Prime Minister. 
 
It was reported that 24 fishermen from Rames­waram set out in 5 boats have been illegally abducted and taken away to Mannar in Sri Lanka where they were being held in custody, while another batch of 5 boats from Rameswaram with 25 fishermen on board had been captured at Kayts Island.
 
Jayalalithaa said despite repeated protests to the Centre, the travails of innocent TN fishermen who face harassment, abduction and assault at the hands of the Lankan Navy, continue with its menacing and predatory acts in the face of pusillanimous responses and apathy by the GoI.
 
She noted that the Centre had taken no firm stance in the matter and had ex­erted little or no diplomatic pressure on Colo­m­bo to bring about a permanent solution to the problem.
 “I request you to in­struct the MoEA to immediately summon the High Commissioner of Sri Lan­ka in New Delhi and lodge the strong protest against this latest act of Sri Lankan Navy,” she said.