Newly elected Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay has written to Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar urging the Indian Union government to intervene diplomatically and secure the release of six Tamil Nadu fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy the same day.
In the letter, Joseph Vijay stated that the fishermen had ventured out for fishing from Mandapam in Ramanathapuram district on 10 May and were later arrested alongside their fishing boat for allegedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).
Vijay further noted that 54 Indian fishermen remain imprisoned in Sri Lanka while 264 fishing boats continue to be impounded by Sri Lankan authorities.
Requesting immediate intervention through diplomatic channels, Vijay called on the Indian Union government to ensure the “earliest release” of both the detained fishermen and their boat.
The letter marks Joseph Vijay’s first formal appeal to New Delhi since assuming office as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.
Notably, he referred to the central administration as the “Union government”, a politically loaded term frequently used by Dravidian parties in Tamil Nadu instead of “Central government”, reflecting long-running federal tensions with New Delhi.
The appeal also came within minutes of Vijay publicly thanking Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake for congratulating him on becoming Chief Minister earlier.