Will take up TN fishermen killings with Lanka: Pranab

Another fisherman,2nd in 10 days,allegedly killed by Lankan Navy.

The trouble in Palk Straits between fishermen from Tamil Nadu and the Sri Lankan Navy claimed yet another life when a fisherman who put out to sea,from Nagapattinam district,was allegedly killed by Sri Lankan Navy personnel.

N Jayakumar,28,from Pushpavanam fishing hamlet in Vedaranyam,is the second fisherman to get killed in the last 10 days,prompting Chief Minister M Karunanidhi to take up the matter with Union Minister and senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee.

Jayakumar,Senthil and Rajendran went to sea in a fibre boat on Saturday morning. Around midnight,a Lankan vessel reportedly approached them and ordered the three to jump into the water. While others immediately followed the order,Jayakumar hesitated. The navy personnel allegedly caught him and tied a rope around his neck and pushed him into water. They then drove their boat around,dragging Jayakumar behind them.

The state government has announced a solatium of Rs 5 lakh for Jayakumars family.

The issue figured prominently when Pranab Mukherjee met Karunanidhi at his residence on Sunday morning,after landing in the city on Saturday night. Karunanidhi apprised the senior Congress leader about the continuation of attacks on Tamil fishermen.

I will take it up with the Sri Lankan authorities through the External Affairs Ministry, Mukherjee told reporters outside Karunanidhis residence after the meeting.

Pointing out that nothing would be solved by shooting the fishermen,Mukherjee said the Lankan officials could arrest and resort to legal action against the fishermen if they were found to have done anything wrong.

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The UPA is already under attack from rivals for not safeguarding the welfare of Tamils in general and fishermen in particular. The charge has more weight to it now,with the Assembly elections only a few months away.

Meanwhile,External Affairs Minister S M Krishna expressed the governments strong and unequivocal condemnation of the violent incident and said the matter had been raised with Colombo.

He said India had asked Sri Lanka to seriously investigate the incident and ensure that it was not repeated.

India has also emphasised that the 2008 pact between the governments on the issue of fishermen should be strictly adhered to and the use of force is not acceptable. The Sri Lankan Government was requested to seriously investigate this incident and ensure that it does not recur. We have stressed that use of force must be eschewed in all such situations and have reiterated that the welfare and the safety of our fishermen in the waters between India and Sri Lanka will continue to receive very high priority by the government, an MEA spokesperson said. (With ENS,Delhi)