Jaffna fisherman protest sea ban

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 March 2001, 10:45 GMT]
More than 2000 thousand fishermen sat in protest in front of the Assistant Government Agent's office in Pt. Pedro Monday demanding that the Sri Lankan government should lift the decade long draconian restrictions on fishing in the seas off the Jaffna coast.

The fishermen's protest before the Pt.Pedro Assistant Government Agent's office in Jaffna on Monday. Photo:TamilNet

There was no unloading at the Pt. Pedro jetty Monday as all the workers were on strike to take part in the sit in protest, sources said. The protesting fishermen, holding placards , blocked government officials from opening the AGA office this morning.

A spokesman for the Federation of Vadamaradchi fishermen's societies told Tamilnet that the Sri Lanka army at Sakkottai, Mailathanai and Inparutti, coastal villages near Pt. Perdro town, had prevented people from coming for the protest this morning.

The chairman of the Valvettithurai urban council, Mr. M.K Sivajilingam (Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation), joined the fishermen's sit in protest.