ID :
66291
Thu, 06/18/2009 - 07:35
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/66291
The shortlink copeid
Karuna writes to PM on Lanka's reported move on military base
Chennai, June 17 (PTI) India's southern state of Tamil
Nadu's Chief Minister M Karunanidhi has said India should
verify reports about Sri Lanka's proposed intention to set up
a military base in Katchatheevu, saying the "unilateral
action" was a great cause of concern for fishermen and the
state government.
Katchatheevu is an islet ceded to Sri Lanka by India
in 1974.
In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, he cited
Tamil newspaper reports about Sri Lankan Navy's intention to
set up a watch tower and a military base and said "it should
be verified by the Government of India with its agencies."
Incidents of harassment of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the
Sri Lankan Navy continues unabated despite repeated requests
by the state government and assurance given by the Sri Lankan
authorities to India, Karunanidhi, whose Dravida Munnetra
Kazhgham (DMK) is a key partner of the UPA Government at the
Centre, said.
Tamil Nadu fishermen have often come under attack
allegedly by Sri Lankan Navy in and around Katchatheevu. This
issue has been seized by All India Anna Dravida Munetra
Kazhagam (AIADMK) and some other political parties to demand
the retrieval of the island.
Karunanidhi said after the annual ban imposed by the
state government on mechanised fishing boats and trawlers
ended on May 29 last, fishermen put out to the sea off
Rameswaram hoping to conduct fishing "in a peaceful manner"
with the political situation in Sri Lanka changing.
"To their shock, the Sri Lankan Navy continued its
tirade against the poor fishermen by damaging their boats,
seizing the fish catches and harassing and intimidating them
in mid sea," he said in the letter, a copy of which was
released to the media here last night.
Karunanidhi said that in the latest incident on June
15, the fishermen who went to sea for fishing near
Katchatheevu had been rounded up by Sri Lakan patrol boats,
were threatened and their nets and prawns seized and chased
away. In the process, a boat had been badly damaged and sunk,
putting the lives of fishermen in danger, he said.
The incident, he said, "has shaken the Rameswaram
fishermen and created a sense of insecurity, helplessness and
frustration among them."
Recalling the October 26 last joint press communique
by both the countries that they had agreed to put in place
practical arrangements to deal with bonafide fishermen
crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and
to work out a fishing arrangement, he said it was shocking to
know new developments were taking place near Katchatheevu.
He requested the Prime Minister to impress upon the
Sri Lankan Government not to violate the decisions taken at
the diplomatic levels and stop harassing the Tamil Nadu
fishermen.
"As the livelihood of fishermen is involved in this
sensitive issue, I request you to kindly take up the issue
with appropriate authorities in Sri Lanka at the earliest,"
he said in the letter. PTI
Nadu's Chief Minister M Karunanidhi has said India should
verify reports about Sri Lanka's proposed intention to set up
a military base in Katchatheevu, saying the "unilateral
action" was a great cause of concern for fishermen and the
state government.
Katchatheevu is an islet ceded to Sri Lanka by India
in 1974.
In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, he cited
Tamil newspaper reports about Sri Lankan Navy's intention to
set up a watch tower and a military base and said "it should
be verified by the Government of India with its agencies."
Incidents of harassment of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the
Sri Lankan Navy continues unabated despite repeated requests
by the state government and assurance given by the Sri Lankan
authorities to India, Karunanidhi, whose Dravida Munnetra
Kazhgham (DMK) is a key partner of the UPA Government at the
Centre, said.
Tamil Nadu fishermen have often come under attack
allegedly by Sri Lankan Navy in and around Katchatheevu. This
issue has been seized by All India Anna Dravida Munetra
Kazhagam (AIADMK) and some other political parties to demand
the retrieval of the island.
Karunanidhi said after the annual ban imposed by the
state government on mechanised fishing boats and trawlers
ended on May 29 last, fishermen put out to the sea off
Rameswaram hoping to conduct fishing "in a peaceful manner"
with the political situation in Sri Lanka changing.
"To their shock, the Sri Lankan Navy continued its
tirade against the poor fishermen by damaging their boats,
seizing the fish catches and harassing and intimidating them
in mid sea," he said in the letter, a copy of which was
released to the media here last night.
Karunanidhi said that in the latest incident on June
15, the fishermen who went to sea for fishing near
Katchatheevu had been rounded up by Sri Lakan patrol boats,
were threatened and their nets and prawns seized and chased
away. In the process, a boat had been badly damaged and sunk,
putting the lives of fishermen in danger, he said.
The incident, he said, "has shaken the Rameswaram
fishermen and created a sense of insecurity, helplessness and
frustration among them."
Recalling the October 26 last joint press communique
by both the countries that they had agreed to put in place
practical arrangements to deal with bonafide fishermen
crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and
to work out a fishing arrangement, he said it was shocking to
know new developments were taking place near Katchatheevu.
He requested the Prime Minister to impress upon the
Sri Lankan Government not to violate the decisions taken at
the diplomatic levels and stop harassing the Tamil Nadu
fishermen.
"As the livelihood of fishermen is involved in this
sensitive issue, I request you to kindly take up the issue
with appropriate authorities in Sri Lanka at the earliest,"
he said in the letter. PTI