By Arun Lakshman

Chennai, Mar 13 (IANS): Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu are in dire straits after several arrests and jail terms for crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) with the Sri Lankan Navy and police arresting them. Other than arrests and jail terms, what is more worrying for these fishermen is the confiscation of their trawlers and mechanised fishing boats costing more than Rs 40 to Rs 50 lakhs by the Sri Lankan authorities.

Recently in several leading newspapers of Sri Lanka, an advertisement had appeared for the auction of the mechanised fishing boats seized from Indian fishermen. Many fishermen's association have appealed to both the state and Central governments against this apathy towards Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu who are trying to make a living by fishing in the deep sea.

The fishermen unknowingly cross the IMBL in Palk Bay and Katchatheevu and immediately fall into the clutches of the Sri Lankan naval authorities. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has in many petitions to the External affairs minister and the Prime Minister requested them to take up the matter with the Sri Lankan authorities so that the Indian fishermen get the confidence to fish in the deep sea.

In another development, fishermen from Tamil Nadu and Kerala were arrested by the Seychelles and Indonesia for drifting into their territorial waters. While negotiations and diplomatic discussions between the authorities of the two countries and the Indian side are in progress, the families back home are worried about the safety of their men.

With satellite mobile phones available in most of the deep sea mechanised boats, fishermen are able to communicate to their families about their predicament leading to intervention by the Indian authorities.

J. Jesuraj, leader of the South India fishermen association in Ramanathapuram, told IANS: "The fishermen are now venturing into the sea with dread and they don't know whether they are coming back home. Weather conditions are of course tough but the possibility of arrest by other countries is the major problem they face, especially the Sri Lankan side. In our areas of Rameswaram, Ramanathapuram and other coastal belts the fishermen and their families are in an agitated mood over the assistance given by the Government of India to the Sri Lankans and in turn the ill treatment meted out to Indian fishermen."

Several fishermen have stopped going to sea after the arrests and the humiliation they faced in Sri Lankan jails and many have turned to other professions to support their family. Some fishermen were killed by the Sri Lankans. An example is the recent case of R. Rajkiran who fell into the water after being hit by a Sri Lankan trawler. He drowned with other fishermen in his boat claiming that the boat was hit by the Sri Lankan trawler. Three persons were on board in the Indian boat including Rajkiran who drowned. The other two, Suganthan and Xavier, were arrested and jailed by the Sri Lankan navy. The Sri Lankans however claim that the two Indian fishermen were rescued by them and that they had tried to save Rajkiran but failed.

The fishermen not venturing into the sea has created a major social and economic issue in the coastal belts of the state as most of them are not familiar with any other work. During their off-season, the fishermen mostly repair their nets or make minor mechanical repairs to their boats.

R. Samueldas, President, fishermen's welfare association, told IANS: "The fishermen not venturing out to sea has created a social and economic issue in the coastal belts and most of the families are on the verge of starvation. While the government BPL cards and ration supply are providing them a little solace, jobless fishermen will lead to major social issues in the near future in Tamil Nadu unless the government takes up the issue in right earnest with the Sri Lankans."

On March 11, the Sri Lankan Minister for Fisheries, Douglas Devananda met the Indian fishermen association leaders from Tamil Nadu and, according to them, has assured that the matter would be taken up at the highest levels of the Sri Lankan Navy.

Stalin recently sent a delegation of state ministers to meet External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and submitted a petition to the latter signed by thousands of fishermen families in coastal Tamil Nadu.

The Chief Minister's Office had in a communication to the media said that Jaishankar had assured them of taking up the matter with his Sri Lankan counterpart and also with the island nation's navy.

Mary Samuel, who is the wife of a fisherman arrested and jailed for crossing the IMBL, told IANS from Ramanathapuram: "My husband has just come home after languishing in a Sri Lankan prison. He is not a terrorist, not a smuggler, and not a sea pirate, yet he is arrested and jailed and our boats are seized. We have knocked on all the doors, nothing is happening. How can the government of India provide assistance to these Sri Lankans who are inhuman to our people and are indiscriminately arresting our fishermen for flimsy reasons? The Sri Lankans understand only the language of power and strong-arm tactics have to be employed by the Government of India to set things right."