Stop sinking of boats by Sri Lanka, CM Stalin tells Centre

Chennai, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday urged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to take steps to stop sinking of apprehended Indian fishing boats by Sri Lanka.

The chief minister demanded necessary steps to bring back 229 fishing boats seized by Sri Lanka and ensure the security of Indian fishermen and prevent recurrence of attacks against them.

Writing to Jaishankar, Stalin said there had been an increase, of late, in the number of attacks on Indian fishermen by Sri Lankan nationals.

On May 2, as many as 23 fishermen from the coastal villages of Nagapattinam district and their five country boats were attacked at sea by unidentified Sri Lankan nationals in separate incidents. Their GPS devices, mobile phones, VHF equipment, ice boxes, engine components, inverter batteries, stove, approximately 470 kg of fishing nets, and personal belongings such as gold and silver jewellery were snatched away.

"I request you to take this up urgently with the authorities concerned, both in India and Sri Lanka, so that such instances threatening lives and livelihoods do not occur again and the attackers are deterred from indulging in such acts," Stalin said.

Further, the Tamil Nadu chief minister said that reportedly the Sri Lanka’s Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources has formally recommended the scuttling of 34 Indian boats confiscated in 2022 and 2023 as part of a project to develop artificial reef ecosystems. The loss of fishing boats will be detrimental to the livelihood of fishermen.

"I request the Government of India to prevail upon the Sri Lankan Government to not scuttle the boats seized from our fishermen and also to ensure the return of boats to the fishermen."

As of May 5, 2025, 229 fishing boats belonging to fishermen from Tamil Nadu are under the custody of Sri Lanka. The Government of Tamil Nadu had sent a proposal to the Union Government for the repatriation of 12 fishing boats that were released by Sri Lankan Courts, and also to obtain clearance for 14 salvage boats along with 101 fishermen to facilitate the recovery of these vessels.

"We hope the External Affairs Ministry will facilitate this at the earliest. I earnestly urge you to take up these pressing issues with the Government of Sri Lanka, to ensure the security of Indian fishermen and to prevent the recurrence of such attacks, to stop the scuttling of apprehended fishing boats and to take all necessary steps to bring back 229 fishing boats apprehended by Sri Lanka."

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