Saurabh Singh & John Wilbert
Port Blair, Apr 13: Maritime Peoples Welfare Association has requested the Minister for External Affairs, GoI to initiate action to release 08 Indian Fishermen detained by the Indonesian Authorities, recently.
In a letter addressed to the Minister for External Affairs, Mr. F. Rubin Fernando, President of MPWA mentioned that 08 Indian Fishermen hailing from Kanyakumari District of Tamilnadu were arrested by the Indonesian Navy last month for the alleged violation of the International Maritime Boundary Line while fishing in the fishing boat registered to the Andaman Islands in the deep Sea.
He claimed that the 08 fishermen could not have wanted to intrude into the IMBL of Indonesia. It might be an unprecedented natural cause like a sudden change in the rough sea or the breakdown of the engine of their boat.
Mr. Rubin requested the External Affairs Minister to take up the matter with Indonesia and their Embassy in New Delhi for the early release of 08 innocent Fishermen, ensuring without a fine to be imposed on them or sentenced to imprisonment.
