Chennai: After the Central Government intervened, 47 fishermen who had been detained by the Sri Lankan Navy were released and arrived in Chennai this morning.

The Sri Lankan Navy apprehended fishermen from the state's Rameswaram, Nagapattinam, and Pudukottai districts when they went out to sea to fish in December 2021. Sixty-six fishermen were arrested in December alone, with nine boats, fishing nets, and other gear confiscated. The captured fisherman were brought before Sri Lankan courts and sentenced to prison.

The Tamil Nadu government responded by writing a letter to the Union Minister of External Affairs. The central government and the Tamil Nadu government moved quickly to secure the fishermen's release. Then, in January, a Sri Lankan court released 56 Tamil Nadu fisherman. They were all handed up to officials from the Indian embassy in Sri Lanka.

While the embassy was preparing to return them, it was discovered that several of the fisherman had been infected with COVID-19. As a result, they were unable to be flown to India right away and were treated in Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, the fishermen's families have urged a Sri Lankan court to bring the fishermen back to Tamil Nadu as soon as possible.

The Tamil Nadu government notified the Central Government and urged that action be taken to bring the fishermen back to the state. The Indian Embassy transferred those fishermen who were not afflicted with the virus on February 10 at the request of the Tamil Nadu government.

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