The Sri Lankan Navy arrested 14 more fishermen from Pudukkottai, Tamil Nadu, who were fishing in maritime waters. The Lankan Navy also seized two boats, alleging that the fishermen crossed the border.

In addition to the two other such incidents that have happened in the last week, this takes the tally of fishermen and boats to 69 and 10 respectively.

As a result, fishermen in Pudukkottai announced a strike for the day. Fishermen from Rameswaram are already on an indefinite strike.

On December 18, 43 fishermen from Rameswaram, Ramanathapuram District, were fishing in the traditional waters of Palk Bay, in six mechanized fishing boats. The Lankan Navy arrested them for violating the international border. On December 19, 12 fishermen in two boats were also arrested.

Alarmed by the frequency of the arrests despite letters from the Tamil Nadu government, Chief Minister MK Stalin wrote a letter to Union Minister of External Affairs S Jaisankar, expressing anguish over these incidents of arrest and harassment.

In the letter, he states, "The repeated attempts by the Sri Lankan Navy to prevent the exercise of traditional rights by fishermen of the State by intimidatory tactics must not be allowed to continue further."

The letter also states that in 2021 alone, five fishermen were killed in two separate attacks.

(With inputs from agencies)