Eelam fishermen appeal to Vijay over Tamil Nadu trawler incursions

Eelam Tamil fishermen from Delft, also known as Neduntheevu, have publicly appealed to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay to intervene over repeated incursions by trawlers from the Indian state, warning that the destruction of their fishing gear is further devastating livelihoods across the North-East.

Speaking at a press conference at the Jaffna Press Club on Tuesday, Anthony Sivarasa, vice president of the Neduntheevu Fishermens Cooperative Society, said fishermen from several northern islands had suffered losses amounting to several million rupees after their nets were cut and destroyed by Tamil Nadu trawlers.

According to Sivarasa, the trawlers entered Sri Lankan waters several days ago and damaged nets belonging to fishermen from Analaitivu, Eluvaitivu, Neduntheevu, Nainativu, Mandaitivu and Pungudutivu. He said the destruction had left fishermen facing severe financial hardship, with many now unable to afford the replacement equipment they need to continue working.

"There is no one to compensate the fishermen who have lost their nets," Sivarasa said, adding that affected families are left without any avenue for redress or compensation.

He urged the Sri Lankan government, through the Minister of Fisheries, to take effective measures to prevent further incursions, and called on the Sri Lankan Navy to strengthen maritime surveillance and enforcement along the maritime boundary.

Sivarasa also made a public appeal to Vijay, urging him to prevent fishermen from Karaikal, Pudukkottai and Rameswaram from crossing into Sri Lankan waters.

"We respectfully appeal to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay to stop fishermen from crossing the maritime boundary. Their actions are destroying our livelihoods," he said.

He further urged Vijay to ensure that the issue does not create unnecessary tensions between communities that share deep cultural and historical ties, and called on Sri Lanka and India to engage in meaningful discussions towards a lasting solution to the fisheries dispute.

The appeal is among the first made by Eelam Tamil fishing communities to Vijay, who took office in May after the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagams victory in the Tamil Nadu assembly election, ending the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagams term in government under M. K. Stalin.

Already burdened by decades of economic hardship and the discriminatory policies of the Sri Lankan state towards Tamils, many fishing communities in the North-East have yet to recover from the devastation of the armed conflict. The continued activities of Tamil Nadu trawlers are placing further strain on an already fragile local economy.

At the centre of the dispute is bottom trawling, a practice in which heavy nets are dragged along the seabed, damaging coral beds and fish breeding grounds and depleting the stocks on which small-scale northern fishermen depend. The practice was outlawed in Sri Lankan waters under the 2017 Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Act, but fishing communities across the North-East say the ban has never been properly enforced. Fishing unions have also accused the navy of selective enforcement, acting swiftly against local fishermen over minor infractions while failing to deter foreign trawlers crossing the maritime boundary.