How Many Indian Tamilnadu Fishermen did Sri Lankan Navy Kill?
TAMIL TRIBUNE, June 2009 (ID. 2009-06-01)
Click here for MAIN INDEX to archived articles (main page)
www.tamiltribune.com
I have been writing for over a decade about Sri Lankan Navy shooting and killing Tamilnadu fishermen. How many fishermen have been killed? I have read various numbers from various quarters. Some people have a vested interest in minimizing the number and some have a vested interest in maximizing the number. Those in power in New Delhi at the Indian central government and political parties and leaders allied with them try to downplay the number. Those opposed to them try to overplay the numbers. In my opinion, the best source is established newspapers not allied with any political party.
In my research the only newspaper in Tamil Nadu State or elsewhere in India that put a number for the total number of killings is Dinamani. This is one of the oldest Tamil newspapers with a large subscription base. It was founded in 1933. It is presently owned by Express Madurai Limited that also publishes the English daily The New Indian Express that is published from 22 locations in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Orissa. Express Madurai Limited or The New Indian Express or Dinamani is not owned by or affiliated with any political party.
July 16, 2008 issue of Dinamani stated that Sri Lankan navy had shot and killed over 800 fishermen in the past 25 years. It further added that over 250 have been killed just in the past 2 years.
Indian government however gives a much lower number. Indian Defense Minister said in 2007 that Sri Lankan navy had shot and killed 77 Tamil Nadu fishermen between 1991 and mid April 2007. Indian government, of course, has a vested interest in downplaying the numbers because it is doing nothing effective to stop these murders in the sea.
Even if we are to take the Indian government count of 77, that is 77 too many killings. Sri Lankan navy has no right to kill even a single Tamil Nadu fisherman.
RELATED ARTICLES
1. Killings of Tamil Nadu Fishermen Continue with Impunity (by Usha Ramanathan), TAMIL TRIBUNE, September 2004 (23 KB)
2. India, Sri Lankan Navy and Tamil Nadu Fishermen: Is Tamil Blood Cheap in the Eyes of Indian Government? (by Usha Ramanathan), TAMIL TRIBUNE, April 2007 (6 KB)
3. Search the Internet for Usha Ramanathan fishermen Tamil Nadu Sri Lanka. You will find about half-a-dozen articles.
FIS090518 2009-a1d
This is a "Category B" article. Free to publish as long as the entire article, author and Tamil Tribune name are included (no permission needed). Click here for more details.