Fishermen in Rameswaram, the coastal pilgrim town in south Tamil Nadu, have threatened to go on a ‘stop work’ agitation on Saturday to protest the Lankan Navy’s move to put in place an ‘underwater defence system’ (read mines) in the sea between Katchateevu and Neduntheevu (Delft Island) in Lankan territorial waters, a favourite destination for Tamil Nadu fishermen.

They are also demanding the release of 12 fishermen arrested on Monday by the Sri Lankan Navy and the three trawlers that they seized for crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) into their territorial waters.

The Rameswaram fishermen are, however, skeptical about the Lankan Navy’s threat, dismissing it as a ploy to prevent them from fishing in their (Lankan) waters.

“We have received instructions from the Navy that the Lankan Navy has placed some defence warning systems under the sea. We have warned our fishermen against straying into Lankan waters,” Ramanathapuram District Collector Kirlosh Kumar told The Indian Express.

Subroto Mukherji, Naval Area Commander (South) based in Rameswaram, also confirmed that the Navy had warned the district administration. “But, despite our warning that it is too dangerous for them to venture across the boundary line into Sri Lanka, our fishermen continue to do so,” he said.

Following the warning, Indian Navy’s INS T60 on Palk Bay patrol stopped 22 mechanised trawlers from crossing the IMBL and took into custody about 50 fishermen. They were later handed over to the district fisheries department, said Mukherji.

Antony Raj, president of the Mechanised Boat Fishermen Association, said the District Collector had warned the Rameswaram fishermen on Tuesday last against crossing the IMBL, saying that the Lankan Navy had placed ‘kanni vedi’ or mines in the sea. He dismissed the warning as “a game plan” of the Tamil Nadu Government to ensure our fishermen don’t cross the IMBL.

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