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Tamil Nadu
By S. Vydhianathan
Police officers keeping watch at Nadukuppam after a clash between fishermen belonging to the Tamil Nadu village and their counterparts from Solainagarkuppam in Pondicherry on Sunday. — Photo: T. Singaravelou
Fisheries authorities say that often the clashes and even arrests occur on economic or territorial grounds (in the case of Sri Lanka). Occasionally, a local, political or communal colour is given to the skirmishes. The Tamil Nadu Government has taken up with the Centre the problems with Sri Lanka, and with the neighbouring States to ensure that the fishermen are not harassed or beaten up. Despite these attempts, the problem persists. The Tamil Nadu fishermen, who have been a little venturesome, are invariably at the receiving end. Reports of their being taken into custody by the Sri Lankan Navy or kidnapped by fishermen of other States are common. In the last decade, about 80 Tamil Nadu fishermen were killed and hundreds detained by the Sri Lankan Navy in mid-sea. According to fishermen's associations here, many fishermen, belonging to Mandapam and Kanyakumari, have been languishing in Sri Lankan jails for years, though they concede that the process of securing their release was speeded up during the past year. At a recent meeting of the Chief Ministers, Tamil Nadu expressed concern over the attack on the fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy and the issue was brought to the notice of the island President, Chandrika Kumaratunga, during their meeting in Chennai in April. Recently, fishermen from Rameswaram and Mandapam were kidnapped by their Kerala counterparts near Kochi. They were not only attacked but their catch, worth several thousand rupees, was also seized. The fishermen were freed only after they paid a heavy ransom. The same is the lot of Chennai-based fishermen, who now and then pay hefty sums to their Andhra Pradesh counterparts to get their colleagues released. Occasions were when their boats and catches were also seized. According to Fisheries department officials, the Government is taking steps to protect the fishermen. Recently the Chief Minister wrote to her Kerala counterpart, A.K.Antony, urging him to provide protection to the lives and property of Kanyakumari fishermen operating in Kerala waters. The Government has decided to construct a harbour at Thenkaipattinam in the district for fishermen from the State to dry their catch after completing their operations in Kerala waters. One problem, the officials say, is that fishermen brought things to the notice of the Government only when the situation went out of control. Mostly they settled the "dispute" among themselves. The associations here said fishermen going beyond a State's "jurisdiction" in search of "greener pastures" was common. But they paid a percentage of their collections to fishermen's associations of other States as a sort of levy. Similarly, they collected a levy from fishermen of Andhra and Kerala whenever they came here. Only when they were detained or their boats seized, did the fishermen seek Government help. In a couple of instances, as in Kochi, violence also broke out. From an earlier scenario of clashes with trawlers, the battle for the marine wealth now takes place among fishing communities of adjoining villages, districts, States and countries. While the fishermen have no hope when they cross international boundary lines, they count on the Centre to intervene and resolve the territorial issues among coastal States.
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