Sri Lanka Navy should stop harassing Indian fishermen – Jayalalitha to PM
Observing that Indian fishermen hailing from Tamil Nadu have been “traditionally fishing” in contentious Katchatheevu, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to ask Colombo to stop its navy from harassing them.
Referring to the latest incident, she said fishermen in 45 boats fishing near Katchatheevu on June 26 were harassed by Sri Lankan Navy personnel. They reportedly chased the fishermen away after cutting the ropes and damaging nets of 10 boats, resulting in a huge loss to the fishermen, she said in a letter to Singh.
“You are aware that I have brought to your kind attention the various incidents of attack on Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu by the Sri Lankan Navy/miscreants within the past 12 months and sought your intervention,” she said. This latest incident of harassment has shocked the state of Tamil Nadu and created a “psychological fear” in the minds of the fishermen, she said.
“I wish to reiterate that from time immemorial fishermen of Tamil Nadu have been traditionally fishing in the waters near Katchatheevu, notwithstanding any geographical or political boundaries,” she said.
The Chief Minister requested Singh to take up the issue with Sri Lanka and impress upon them the need to instruct their Navy to exercise restraint and refrain from harassing “innocent” Indian fishermen pursuing their livelihood in their traditional waters, she said. Katchatheevu, an islet on the Palk Straits, was ceded to Sri Lanka by India in 1974. Sri Lanka has been objecting to Tamil Nadu fishermen fishing in that area, PTI reports.
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Poooh! Sounds like a mad bitch barking at the moon !
Manjula, it takes one to know one.
Nothing to really worry about. These are pre-election gimmicks to steal votes in the Indian elections. Further it takes one to sympathize with a similar one!
In short, barking up the wrong tree1
Mudalige is pro Tamil extremists. I wonder whether he is actually a Tamil using a Sinhala name, as a pseudonym. There were several of them who have written to this column. The LTTE were adept at this game. They even disguised as Buddhist monks to infiltrate the South to try to assassinate VIP targets.
Bigmama Jayalalita and her opponent, Karunanidi, who has one foot in the grave, plays the SL Tamil card demanding Tamil separatism, for political gains. They are rabble rousers. They are careful not to demand Tamil Nadu separatism or autonomy, lest they incur the wrath of Central Govt. Actually, it is more appropriate they demand Tamil Nadu autonomy for their 70 million Tamils rather than autonomy for the 3 million Tamils in SL, who do not want separatism, except for the few thousands Tamil extremists.
Can’t this idiotic granny shut her big mouth and mind her own business without putting her finger into Sri Lanka? She even can’t control her own state but now is trying to control Sri Lanka.