Date:11/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/11/stories/2008101160511000.htm

Tamil Nadu

Fishermen enter sea in protest at Arukattuthurai village

Shyam Ranganathan

For non-inclusion of 340 people in the list of tsunami victims

NAGAPPATTINAM: Over 500 fishermen, women and children entered the sea at Arukattuthurai near here on Friday in protest against non-inclusion of 340 people in the list of tsunami victims.

The police arrested and later released nearly 400 of them. The people of Arukattuthurai had been petitioning the administration seeking the benefits that were being given to tsunami victims.

After initial protests and negotiations, the administration recognised only 27 people as tsunami-affected. In protest against this, the fishermen filed a petition in the High Court, asking for inclusion of 340 more in the list. While the case is set to come up for hearing, the fishermen marched to the taluk headquarters on Thursday to surrender their ration cards.

Peace meeting

Tahsildar Mustafa Kamal Pasha said the officials conducted a peace meeting and convinced the fishermen to disperse and await the court and administration orders. However, early on Friday, the fishermen, led by S. Ponnusamy of the Catamaran Fishermen’s Union, took out a march from their community centre in the village to the sea.

In spite of police attempts to stop them, they entered the sea, where a source claimed, four of them had fainted.

Later they tried to surrender their ration cards as a mark of protest but the Village Administrative Officer (VAO) refused to accept them, following which they decided to surrender their cards at the taluk headquarters again, but the police arrested them.