NEW DELHI/CHENNAI:08th August 2013(7STARNEWS)Giving in to the intense pressure piled on by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, the Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday summoned the Sri Lankan envoy and issued a demarche over the continued detention of Indian fishermen for allegedly entering Lanka's territorial waters.
Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India Prasad Kariyawasam was summoned to the South Block, where Joint Secretary in-charge of the territorial desk, Harsh Vardhan Shringla, met him, official sources said.
The Lankan diplomat was given a formal demarche on the large number of Indian fishermen who were languishing in Sri Lankan custody. The Indian High Commission gave a similar demarche to the island nation's External Affairs Ministry as well.
The diplomatic missive to Colombo was that keeping Indian fishermen in custody for long was a humanitarian issue. "It was pointed out that the delay in releasing fishermen not only deprives them of livelihood but also causes anxiety to their family members," official sources said.
The escalation at the diplomatic level comes after the continued detention of the State's fishermen turned into a major political issue in Tamil Nadu.
Jayalalithaa had written a barrage of letters to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, seeking strong action. However, for the first time, she called for India to use "coercive diplomacy" to get the message through "diplomatic channels that India will not tolerate these attacks", on Tuesday.
Sri Lanka has detained 114 Indian fishermen and seized 21 fishing boats. Some fishermen have been in the island nation for up to two months. The Indian Consulate General in Jaffna is in regular touch with the fishermen in Lankan custody and they are provided with basic necessities and medical attention, an official source said.
News From: http://www.7StarNews.com
Thursday, August 8, 2013
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