Stalin writes to External Affairs Minister to secure release of TN fishermen held by Sri Lankan Navy

With the Sri Lankan Navy having arrested 47 fishermen on the charge of poaching in the island nation’s territorial waters across the Palk Strait, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday wrote to External Affairs Minister Jaishankar to secure their release along with their boats without any delay.

In his letter to the Union Minister, Stalin urged that New Delhi take expeditious steps to revive the Joint Working Group, established to find a solution to the festering issue. As of today (October 9, 2025), 242 fishing boats and 74 fishermen are in Sri Lankan custody.

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“I wish to bring to your immediate attention the apprehension of five Indian fishing boats and 47 fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy earlier today…This incident has caused significant distress within the fishing community, spreading fear and uncertainty across the coastal districts. It is pertinent to highlight that this is the first instance in 2025 where a large number of fishermen have been apprehended on a single day,” he said.

“Repeated incidents of this nature not only jeopardise the safety and livelihoods of our fishermen, but also severely undermine their morale and confidence in pursuing their traditional occupation. Given the seriousness of the situation, I earnestly request your urgent intervention to address this matter with the authorities concerned and also to secure the expeditious release of the apprehended fishermen and their boats. I also urge you to revive the Joint Working Group and take all diplomatic efforts to ensure that such incidents do not recur,” read the letter.

Giving the details of the boats and fishermen, the Chief Minister said “Of the five boats detained, four mechanised fishing vessels bearing registration numbers IND-TN-10-MM-200, IND-TN-10-MM-308, IND-TN-10-MM-748 and IND-TN-10-MM-1002 and 30 fishermen belong to the coastal villages of Tamil Nadu.”

As a fallout of the detention of fishermen, political parties cutting across the political divide, have condemned Sri Lanka and there is a chorus to demand that India take steps to retrieve the tiny rocky islet, Katchatheevu, ceded to Sri Lanka in 1974. Retrieval of the islet in the narrow strategic Palk Strait between the two countries is touted as a lasting solution. In lieu of Katchatheevu, Sri Lanka has given to India the marine resources rich Wadge Bank south of Kanniyakumari in the Indian ocean.