TN fishermen demand prosecution of SL navy personnel

Tamil Nadu fishermen and family members, who are protesting against Sri Lankan Navy for shooting down an Indian fisherman, demanded the Indian Central government to prosecute the Lankan Navy personnel under the Indian Law, the Indian Express reported on Wednesday.

Citing the case of two Italian marines accused of killing two Kerala fishermen in 2012, many protestors including Ramanathapuram MP A Anwar Raja had appealed to the Centre to prosecute the Lankan navy personnel for the crime.

According to Indian Express, the history of the conflict between Tamil Nadu fishermen and Lankan navy shows that there has been only one instance when a Lankan navy commander was arrested for allegedly killing two fishermen, Susaiappar and Alphonse, in a shootout near the Gulf of Mannar in 1985.

Under pressure from then CM M G Ramachandran, the Congress-government at the Centre directed the Indian Coastal Guard to arrest the commander.

On January 8, 1985, the ICG surrounded the Lankan navy vessel in the high seas before bringing the commander to Mandapam; he was released later, said U Arulanantham, President of Alliance for Release of Innocent Fishermen, adding that it was not known what happened to the case.