Rameswaram fishers withdraw their strike

RAMESWARAM: Fishermen from Rameswaram finally took to the sea on Saturday after a more than 15-day protest against the sentencing of five of their counterparts by a Sri Lankan court.
About 650 boats sailed from Rameswaram jetty on Saturday morning and they will return on Sunday morning.
Post the death sentence given to the five fishermen for indulging in smuggling narcotics into the island nation, the entire coastal districts of Tamil Nadu went on strike for few days and withdrew their strike one by one after information that the fishermen would be released started emerging.However, Rameswaram fishermen continued the strike demanding the release of their counterparts.
B Jesuraja, district secretary of Tamil Nadu Mechanised Boat Fishermen Association in Rameswaram said that they have decided to withdraw their strike since they are getting information about the possible release of fishermen.
"As of now we have decided to postpone our strike till November 18 when we will know further information on the status of the sentence. The strike also took a heavy toll on the livelihood of our fishermen as well since many of them were driven into penury," he said.
Meanwhile, women members of the five fishermen families staged a protest in Rameswaram stating that they are not getting correct information about fishermen release.
After fishermen community leaders consoled them and assured that they will get correct information by November 17, the women dispersed from the place.
P Gladwin, brother of Emerson, one of the five fishermen said that they are very much anxious about the fate of their family members. "We keep receiving information that they are going to be released but, we are not able to come out of our anxiety since the news could not be confirmed.
All family members are very much scared because of different statements we keep receiving about their release," he said.
"We have decided to wait till that date and see. Based on the information we will decide our future course of action," Jesuraja added.