Rameswaram: Twenty Tamil Nadu fishermen were taken into custody on Saturday along with their 5 boats by Sri Lankan naval personnel for allegedly trespassing into Lankan waters, said a report in the fisheries department. The arrest comes a day after Chief Minister Jayalalithaa urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to summon the Sri Lankan High Commissioner and convey India's strong protest on the arrest of Indian fishermen by the Lankan Navy.
Assistant Director of Fisheries Phelomin Thiagarajan said they did not give permission for one of the boats as it was using banned fishing nets and it had put to sea without proper license. It could have been seized due to that, the official said. However, other fishermen and boats had proper license, he said.
In her letter to Singh, Jayalalithaa said, "I am pained to note that such incidents of unlawful abduction and arrest of fishermen from Tamil Nadu by the Sri Lankan Navy go on unabated and are occurring with alarming frequency." Jayalalithaa's letter came a day after she had slammed the Centre for not taking any "concerted efforts" to secure the release of arrested Tamil Nadu fishermen.
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