Overview

• Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as Sri Lankan Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya visits India from October 16 to 18, asking him to raise fishermen’s concerns.
• The letter seeks prompt repatriation of 76 detained fishermen and the release of 242 Tamil Nadu boats currently held in Sri Lanka.
• Stalin cites 106 incidents since 2021 in which 1,482 fishermen and 198 boats were apprehended, underscoring ongoing economic and social distress.
• He presses for retrieval of Katchatheevu and restoration of traditional fishing rights, noting the Tamil Nadu Assembly’s opposition to the island’s transfer since 1974.
• He alleges harassment by the Sri Lankan Navy and thefts by Sri Lankan nationals, urges revival of the Joint Working Group on Fisheries, and asks that India raise concerns over a 2018 law enabling nationalisation of seized boats; the reports note no immediate official response.