A day after Sri Lankan Navy released around 1,000 Tamil Nadu fishermen after detaining them for a day, thousands of fishermen from Rameshwaram launched an indefinite strike on Friday demanding protection and an end to recurring incidents of attacks by the island's navy.
The fishermen, who were critical of the inhuman treatment meted out to their colleagues by the Sri Lankan Navy on Wednesday, said they would continue the strike till the problem was solved and security provided to them while fishing in Palk Straits.
The strike had been launched by various fishermen associations and over 1,200 mechanised boats stayed back.
Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry Fishermen's Association Chairman M J Bose said the fishermen would block the road on the Pamban bridge, connecting the island town with the mainland, on July 10.
The proposed road blockade was backed by all the political parties in the state, he said.
On Wednesday, the fishermen, intercepted by the Sri Lankan Navy near Katchatheevu, were escorted to Talaimannar where a thorough search of their 249 boats was conducted, apparently following intelligence inputs that a few fishing boats carried explosive materials to Sri Lanka.
The fishermen had alleged that many of them were beaten up by Sri Lankan naval personnel.
Meanwhile, a report from Ramanathapuram said the state government has decided to provide wireless radio sets to fishing vessels, including country boats, which would enable fishermen to communicate with a control room on the shores and inform them about their whereabouts.
