SLN imposed ban starves 550 fisher families in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 September 2008, 13:59 GMT]
Jaffna peninsula Federation of Fisheries Societies (FFS) extended an urgent appeal to local and international humanitarian organizations to issue relief food immediately to the 550 fisher families in Maathakal in Valikaamam which face death due to starvation caused by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) imposed fishing ban in the seas between its bases in Kangkeasanththu'rai and Kaarainakar, in a media release.

SLN has imposed a standing ban fishing in Maathakal area including the fishing jetties in Cheanththaangku'lam, Usumanthu'rai , Chee'ndippanthal and Koayiliddi and fishermen from these places have to trek 8 km to another fising jetty where fishing is said to be permitted. Even in this jetty they are hindered to fish due to the sudden and frequent bans on fishing imposed by SLN whenever their vessels sail between aangkeasanththu'rai and Kaarainakar, during war rehearsals and routine exercises.

In the sixteen days in September alone the fishermen had been barred from fishing on more than six days.

The fishermen who had gone to fish Sunday had been suddenly intimidated and driven back by the SLN from the above jetty.

The ban on fishing continuing for months in this haphazard manner has severely affected the fisher families in this area who depend on fishing as their sole source of income.

Fishermen in Jaffna peninsula on the whole are subjected to similar SLN and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) permanent as well as temporary fishing bans in the areas where they live, pushing them to the brink of starvation, the media report said.

Among these fisher families those that live in Maathakal are that is located between Kaangkeasanththu'rai and Kaarainakar SLN bases are the most severely affected, the report further said.