Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on Sunday wrote a letter to Prime Minister  Manmohan Singh to ensure the safety of Indian fishermen and request the Sri Lankan Navy to exercise restraint and refrain from shooting innocent Indian fishermen, Tamil Nadu based web agencies reported.

In the letter a copy of which was issued to the press, Karunanidhi urged the Prime Minister to take steps to protect their lives and ensure their livelihood.

‘In spite of the assurances given by the government of India, the fishermen of the State feel insecure and reluctant to carry on fishing in the Indian water for fear of attack by Sri Lankan Navy without any warning’, he said.

The Chief Minister further said that every time a shooting incident or apprehension of Indian fishermen took place near the border, the Sri Lankan Navy immediately denied it.

Karunanidhi said that from January 2006 todate, the Sri Lank Navy had opened fire on Tamil Nadu fishermen on 27 occasions. Eight fishermen had been killed and 24 injured. Over 240 fishermen had been apprehended.

He said that in spite of the issue taken up with Sri Lankan President by the Prime Minister during the recent SAARC Summit, 10 fishermen in Nagapattinam had been apprehended on 9 August, 2008 and shooting of fishermen had taken place on 4 September, 2008 resulting in the injury of one fisherman in Nagapattinam.

He further said the strong protests by the Tamil Nadu government with the Deputy High Commission of Sri Lanka in Chennai and that of the government of India with their Sri Lankan counterpart on the increasing number of such incidents had not yielded desired results.

‘The incidents of harassment continue unabated and a number of fishermen, who venture into the sea for fishing, have been continuously complaining about the treatment meted out to them by the Lankan Navy’, he added.

He alleged that the Sri Lankan Navy was not reciprocating the goodwill shown by the Indian Coast Guard and Navy in dealing with Sri Lankan fishermen for crossing the international border and fishing in the Indian water. The Lankan Navy continued to open fire recklessly without any warning which was against the International Laws of the Sea, Karunanidhi pointed out.