Fishermen spirits down as PM Modi’s Sri Lanka visit fails to bring big news they wanted
The fishermen expected a comprehensive solution to address long–term issues concerning the retrieval of Katchatheevu, attacks and arrests of fishermen, and the impounding of their costly boats.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (PTI)
MADURAI: Despite the Union government's lofty claims about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Sri Lankan visit and its achievements, the badly-hit Rameswaram fishermen, often facing the guns of the neighbouring country’s naval forces, are in for a big disappointment.
The fishermen expected a comprehensive solution to address long–term issues concerning the retrieval of Katchatheevu, attacks and arrests of fishermen, and the impounding of their costly boats.
Dashing high expectations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his keynote address at the inaugural ceremony of the newly built sea bridge at Pamban on Sunday, ended with no word of any announcement about difficult issues afflicting the fisherfolk of the region.
A day after the Prime Minister’s meeting with the Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Sri Lanka, the whole community of fisherfolks in Rameswaram waited with great expectations to hear the Prime Minister’s positive announcement on concrete steps taken to ensure release of the jailed TN fishermen from Sri Lankan prisons and securing of their boats. But it was all in vain, said Traditional Indian Fishermen Welfare Association president VP Sesuraja on Monday.
Recalling past events, Sesuraja said even with the intervention of a five-member delegation of Tamil Nadu fishermen, who stepped up fruitful talks with the Sri Lankan President Maithiripala Sirisena several years ago, with the ultimate release of 34 TN fishermen as a goodwill gesture.
Citing these, he asked why Prime Minister Modi, whose influence is acclaimed globally, can’t do it for the release of TN fishers and their boats from Sri Lanka, while the fishermen's delegation was able to do it in the past. While the Prime Minister is much concerned about the Sri Lankan Tamils, for whom an announcement was made for new housing facilities, he seems not bothered about the fishermen of Tamil Nadu, the leader of the fishermen's association said.
On Saturday, in his meeting with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Modi had pitched for resolving the fishermen issue between the two countries with a humane approach, and Sri Lanka released 14 Indian fishermen as a special gesture.
