Jayalalitha hits out at Lankan Navy

(January, 14, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) Well known political party in Tamil Nadu the AIAD-MK general secretary Miss J. Jayalalithaa on Sunday (13 Janu.) accused the Sri Lankan Navy of “transgressing all tolerable limits” while dealing with Indian fishermen in international waters. Citing the incident of firing by the Lankan Navy on Saturday off the coast of Rameswaram in which Sekar, a fisherman was injured seriously, the AIADMK supremo said the atrocities by the Navy of the island nation on Indian fishermen had become a recurring phenomenon.

In a statement, Miss. Jayalalithaa elaborately described the incident. She said a group of fishermen from Rameswaram with a permit from the fisheries department had ventured into the sea during the early hours of Saturday. When they were fishing near Dhanuskodi, the Sri Lankan Navy surrounded them and started firing indiscriminately without any provocation.

A bullet hit the right shoulder of Sekar, a fisherman, and he fainted. He had to be rushed to the Rameswaram harbour for treatment. Ms Jayalalithaa demanded that both the Union and state governments put an end to such atrocities. She also prayed for the well being of the injured fisherman. In a related development, MDMK general secretary Vaiko has dashed off a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking him to act swiftly and firmly to protect Indian fishermen from the high-handedness of Sri Lankan Navy. Vaiko blamed the UPA government at the Centre of “failing to protect the interests of Indian fishermen” and added that “it had been helping the racist Sri Lankan government by providing weaponry to annihilate Tamils.”