Taking the dialogue process forward, the Tamil Nadu government on Monday announced that the second round of talks between the representatives of fishermen communities in the State and Sri Lanka will be held on May 12 and 13 in Colombo.
The announcement follows the release of 98 fishermen of Tamil Nadu and their 23 boats by Lankan authorities. The island nation’s government took steps to release the fishermen and their vessels due to the firm stand taken by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on the issue.
In his letter to the External Affairs Ministry on Monday, Fisheries Secretary S Vijaykumar said the next round of talks could be held on May 12 and 13 in Colombo as was indicated by the Lankan government to the Centre.
He said the Tamil Nadu delegation would be accompanied by top officials, including the Director and Additional Director of Fisheries and himself.
The Fisheries Secretary also said the list of fishermen representatives from Tamil Nadu would be the same as those who had participated in the talks held on January 27, which included a delegate from Puducherry. The agenda for the proposed talks had already been communicated to the Centre.
The first round of talks between the fishermen representatives of Lanka and Tamil Nadu was held on January 27 in Chennai and it was decided to continue the dialogue process to resolve the issues amicably.
The first round of talks between the Indian fishermen and their Sri Lankan counterparts had completed with both the sides accepting to honour their end of the deal. However, the discussions were put off after a series of fishermen arrests by SL navy.
Following the arrest of more than a hundred fishermen from Tamil Nadu and the confiscation of their vessels, the Chief Minister had written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saying that the next round of talks in Colombo on March 13 could not take place unless all the arrested fishermen and their vessels were released.
On March 13, during her election campaign at Kangeyam, the Chief Minister reiterated her stand on this issue and Lanka released 116 fishermen and 26 boats on March 12 and 24 fishermen and five boats on March 13. Similarly, on March 14, Lanka released 32 fishermen and eight boats. Later, the State government fixed March 25 as the date for next round of talks.
But again, the Lankan Navy took into custody a large number of fishermen on March 19 forcing the Chief Minister to dash off a strong letter to the Prime Minister categorically stating that the next round of talks would not be held unless all the fishermen arrested by the Lankan Navy were set free. Once again, Lanka released the Tamil Nadu fishermen and their vessels. Now, the State government has agreed to hold the talks on May 12 and 13 at Colombo.
2014, The New Indian Express