SL Navy steps up harassment on Tamil fishermen in Jaffna, Vanni

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 July 2012, 01:04 GMT]
The occupying Sri Lanka Navy have been refusing fishermen in Vadamaraadchi to search for their missing fishermen for 72 hours since their two fishermen had sent SOS signals after their boat damaged in the seas and lost its direction. The missing fishermen were finally brought home after fellow fishermen, who went to search for them hiding from the prying eyes of the SL Navy managed to reach them in their boats. The SL navy had refused to allow the fishermen cross the border and had refused to offer any help to rescue the fishermen. Finally, Tamil Nadu fishermen had rescued them till the fishermen from Jaffna managed to reach them, fisheries society representatives in Vadamaraadchi said complaining increased harassments by the SL Navy in the seas off Jaffna and Vanni.

The two saved fishermen were living in Vadamaraadchi for more than 20 years, after the occupying SL military had evicted them from their homes in Mayiliddi in Valikaamam North.

In the meantime, the SL navy has been demanding the Eezham Tamil fishermen, who engage in fishing to have a valid ‘pass’ issued by it. But, Sinhala fishermen, who are brought from the South to engage in fishing in the seas off Jaffna and Vanni are not required to have any such ‘pass’, the fishermen society representatives told TamilNet.

The SL Navy has been particularly strict with checking the ‘pass’ system in the seas off the islets in Jaffna, in the seas off Maathakal, in the Jaffna lagoon and in the seas off Vadamaraadchi East to Kokku'laay.