Jaishankar meets Tamil fishers, BJP leaders over issues on high seas near Lanka

New Delhi, Aug 6 (IANS) External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar met with a delegation of Tamil fishermen along with BJP Tamil Nadu President K Annamalai and other leaders on Monday to advocate for a permanent resolution to the longstanding crisis affecting the fishing community in the high seas bordering Sri Lanka.

Announcing the meeting on X, EAM Jaishankar stated, "Met with a delegation of Tamil fishermen leaders yesterday along with @BJP4TamilNadu President @annamalai_k. They conveyed their various grievances and concerns. Government of India attaches priority to the livelihood, welfare, and security of Indian fishermen."

"Assured that their issues will be approached in a sustainable and sympathetic manner", he added.

Secretaries of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Fisheries Ministry were also present along with the EAM in the meeting.

Thanking the EAM, Annamalai posted on X, "We thank our Hon EAM and the officials for being empathetic to the concerns raised by our brothers from the fishing community and for assuring us of all the necessary support and action for a better way forward."

The representatives from the Mechanised Fishing Boats Association requested the MEA’s kind intervention on the non-recurrence of events similar to the recent incident on the high seas that led to the death of one fisherman, and one fisherman going missing, informed Annamalai.

During the meeting the formation of a Joint Working Group (JWG), comprising of officials from the foreign ministries and fisheries department of India and Sri Lanka was also discussed.

“The JWG has met five times since its formation in 2016. The recent incidents will be highlighted in the upcoming JWG, and a solution is expected to be arrived,” Annamalai posted regarding the discussions in the meeting.

The delegation also put forward the request to cover fishermen under insurance that will compensate their families in the event of loss of life due to health ailments and accidents.

"The Secretary from the Ministry of Fisheries mentioned the availability of the Group Insurance Accident Scheme by GoI, which offered compensation varying from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh, and assured that the insurance claims for non-accident cases also should be looked into in the future", stated Annamalai on X.

During the meeting the representatives thanked the Central Government’s efforts for enabling the immediate return of the remains of one fisherman who lost his life and sought the early release of the fishermen languishing in Sri Lankan prisons.

"Our Hon EAM stressed that there have been zero incidents of shooting of our fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy in the last 10 years. There has been a constant effort to ensure that our fishermen are brought back to our homeland from Sri Lankan prisons in record time" said Annamalai quoting the EAM.

In 2024, out of 273 fishermen detained, 204 have been brought back to India. Of the remaining 69 fishermen, 8 have received prison sentences and 61 are in judicial custody.