For livelihood, fishermen of Rameswaram risk their lives

Indian fishermen continue to wander over to Lankan waters for fishing. They face the risk of being shot at, arrested and tortured, reports A Ganesh Nadar

The primary job of the Coast Guard is to keep intruders from violating India's maritime boundaries. But in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, the Coast Guard have to spend all their time and energy in keeping Indian fishermen inside Indian waters.

Sri Lanka is only 18 kms away from Rameswaram and the International Maritime Border Line is just 9 kms away.

For the fishermen of Rameswaram, the area available within the Indian border for fishing is not enough, so they cross the IMBL regularly. The sea is their source of livelihood and they fail to realise the boundaries dividing it.

The Sri Lankan government has often complained to the Indian embassy, which in turn informs the Coast Guard about this problem. The Lankan authorities have even photographed some of the Indian fishing boats with their identification numbers. The Indian fishermen have now caught on this latest development and they have started covering their numbers with a fresh coat of paint.

Two weeks ago, the Coast Guard in Mandpam held a meeting with the chiefs of fishermen's associations in Rameswaram and urged them against crossing the IMBL.

They were told, "We will cross the IMBL when we don't find fish here; you can do whatever you like (to stop us)".

When the Coast Guards manage to apprehend the fishermen near the boundary line, they are turned back. But most of the times, the fishermen cross over with impunity.

If the fishermen are caught at the maritime border, then the Coast Guard can arrest them and hand them over to the Tamil Nadu police, which can then take action against them.

The Lankan Navy reportedly targets Indian fishermen often; it also confiscates their catch and destroys their nets. Some Indian fishermen have been arrested by Lankan authorities and subsequently freed by the Indian embassy there. But even such drastic steps have not deterred Indian fishermen, who are desperate for a good catch.

Fishermen from both sides of the border are now trying to reach an agreement so that they get to fish in both Indian and Lankan waters. But even if they reach such an agreement, it has to be vetted by the respective governments.

The Coast Guard officials are not amused by this turn of events.

"As of now, we keep the Lankans out of Indian waters. If they are allowed to fish here, anyone can cross the international border under the pretext of fishing. Smuggling drugs is a regular affair here. This (an agreement) will make drug smuggling very easy," said one of them.

Coast Guard officials believe that such an agreement has the power to jeopardise national security.

Meanwhile, Indian fishermen continue to wander over to Lankan waters for fishing. They face the risk of being shot at, arrested and tortured.

Indian authorities will continue to watch helplessly and not bother to raise their voice or retaliate even as our fishermen continue to be targeted by our neighbouring country.