On Saturday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin penned a letter to Union Minister of External Affairs Dr. S Jaishankar, urging him to facilitate the release of 12 fishermen and their fishing vessels apprehended by the Maldives Coast Guard.
In his letter to Jaishankar, Stalin disclosed that these fishermen were detained on October 23, subsequent to their departure for a fishing expedition on October 1, which commenced from the Tharuvaikulam Fish Landing Centre, Thoothukudi District.
Stalin's letter to Jaishankar conveyed the following: "I wish to draw your attention to the arrest of 12 fishermen belonging to Tamil Nadu by the Maldives Coast Guard on 23.10.2023."
"The fishermen ventured for fishing on 01.10.2023 from Tharuvaikulam Fish Landing Centre, Thoothukudi District, in a Mechanized Fishing boat bearing registration number IND–TN–12–MM-6376."
"It is reported that they have been apprehended by the Maldives Coast Guard on 23.10.2023 near Thinadhoo Island. In this regard, I request you to take up the matter with the Maldives authorities through appropriate diplomatic channels to secure the release of the detained fishermen and their fishing boat at the earliest," Stalin concluded in his letter.
