Chennai: Asking the Centre to take a strong line and prevail upon the Sri Lankan Government, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that "unabated, brutal, unprovoked attacks and instances of opening of fire on our innocent fishermen have been carried out by the marauding Sri Lankan Navy despite several joint statements and declarations by both the Government of India and the Government of Sri Lanka to desist from such activities."
Jayalalithaa in her letter to the Prime Minister said that that at a time when her government was taking a "conciliatory approach" to help facilitate talks between the fishermen of India and Sri Lanka, it was "unfortunate" that
"instances of attack and abduction of our fishermen continue unabated."
She also blamed the Centre for failing to act against the attacks by Sri Lanka. "The meek and weak response from the Government of India to the repeated instances of abduction and attacks on our fishermen in their traditional waters has emboldened the Sri Lankan Navy to act brutally against our innocent fishermen," she said.
"The continuance of such attacks and abductions will not make for a congenial atmosphere for any meaningful talks even at the level of fishermen associations of the two countries. Hence, I would like to reiterate that the Government of India must take a strong line and prevail upon Sri Lankan Government to end such unprovoked attacks and arrests," she told Singh in a letter dated December 30, which was released on Monday.
The state government's proposal for talks between fishermen representatives from India and Sri Lanka here on 20 January 2014 was reportedly "agreeable" to Centre also, she said, adding, a formal confirmation was awaited from New Delhi.
Referring to the arrest of 40 fishermen from Puthukottai and Ramanathapuram districts on December 28 and 29 by the Lankan navy, she said such instances have sent shock waves across the fishermen community in the state.
(With additional inputs from PTI)
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