CM writes to EAM Jaishankar seeking release of 9 more fishermen held by Sri Lankan navy

PRESS RELEASE Letter from the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Thiru C. Joseph Vijay, to the Hon'ble Union Minister for External Affairs, Dr. S. Jaishankar, requesting necessary action to secure the release of nine Indian fishermen from Ramanathapuram district who were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy, and to retrieve their fishing boat. The Hon'ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Thiru C. Joseph Vijay, has today (13.8.2026) written to the Hon'ble Union Minister for External Affairs, Dr. S. Jaishankar, requesting necessary action to secure the release of nine Indian fishermen belonging to Ramanathapuram district who were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy, and to retrieve their fishing boat. In the letter, the Chief Minister stated that he wished to bring to the Union Minister's personal attention the incident of the arrest, by the Sri Lankan Navy, of nine Indian fishermen from Ramanathapuram district, Tamil Nadu, who had gone fishing on the night of 12.08.2026 aboard a mechanised fishing boat bearing registration number IND-TN-10-MM-329. Noting that this is the second such incident recorded in August alone, the Chief Minister stated that the continued arrest of Indian fishermen is causing considerable anxiety and a sense of insecurity among the fishing community, particularly in the coastal districts of Tamil Nadu, and that as of date, 49 Indian fishermen remain in Sri Lankan custody. The Chief Minister therefore requested the Union Minister for External Affairs, through appropriate diplomatic channels, to take up this request with the Government of Sri Lanka, to secure the early release of the detained fishermen and their fishing boat, and to take the necessary steps for their safe return to their homeland. He further stated that his intervention in this recurring matter would provide great reassurance and relief to the families of the affected fishermen and to the fishing community of Tamil Nadu. The Chief Minister stated in the letter that he looks forward to the immediate intervention of the Hon'ble Union Minister for External Affairs in this matter. ******* Issued by: Director, Directorate of Information and Public Relations, Chennai-9