NAGAPATTINAM: The last of the 23 fishermen from the district who were in October arrested and detained by the Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly trespassing into international waters returned home on Friday. The five, who had contracted Covid-19 and missed repatriation with the other fishermen on November 27, were flown down to Chennai, following which the Fisheries department brought them back to Nagapattinam.
On October 13, the 23 fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy near Kodiyakarai for allegedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and trespassing into Sri Lankan waters. They were kept in Jaffna till November 14. Following the court in Point Pedro ordering their release on November 15, the Indian consulate in Sri Lanka was preparing to send all of them back home when five of the fishermen contracted Covid-19. They were then isolated and given treatment. The other 18 fishermen, meanwhile, were repatriated to India on November 27. After the infected fishermen recovered and tested negative, they were flown to India on Friday.
Meanwhile, the owners of the two trawler boats in which the 23 fishermen set out to sea sought for retrieval of their vessels, which the Sri Lankan government has attached. The boats belong to E Sivasenan and his brother E Sivakumar from Akkaraipettai.
Sivanesan said, “The boats are the means of livelihood for 23 families. We do not know what to do without them. We request the Union and State governments to retrieve the boats and help us.”
When contacted, an official from the Fisheries department said, “The decision is with the governments to persuade Sri Lanka and release the vessels. We advise all fishers not to cross the IMBL hereafter.”