Tamil Nadu fishermen arrested by Sri Lankan Navy near Neduntheevu; fourth such incident in July

Rameswaram: Four Tamil Nadu fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy on Monday for fishing in their territorial waters, police said. [caption id=“attachment_3083304” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] The fishermen from Jagadapattinam in Pudukottai district were arrested for fishing off Neduntheevu near the Sri Lankan coast and have been taken to Kangesanthurai by the Lankan naval men along with their boat. This is the fourth instance of arrest of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Lankan navy this month. The fishermen had ventured into the sea four days ago before they were arrested, they said. On 13 July, seven fishermen from Mandapam near Rameswaram were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy at Neduntheevu and taken to Kangesanthurai port, for allegedly fishing in the Lankan waters. The Tamil Nadu government has maintained that the retrieval of Katchatheevu, an islet ceded to Sri Lanka in the 1970s, was the “only solution” to the vexed fishermen’s issue.