JOIN USThe fishing hamlet of Thangachimadam, at Rameshwaram in the Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu, held a celebration on Friday for the arrival of five fishermen who were on death row in Sri Lanka.
Emerson, P Augustus, R Wilson, K Prasath and J Langlet were arrested in the island nation on charges of drug trafficking, but were released by a Sri Lankan court after spending three years in jail.
Braving heavy rain, thousands of people assembled to welcome the fishermen back to the village, with women waving flowers, clapping and dancing to the beats of drums. The villagers repeated chanted “Vettri”, or victory, while bursting crackers, distributing sweets and garlanding the fishermen. “Seeing my family and friends after a long time was a wonderful moment in my life. I have no words,” said Emerson after seeing his second son for the first time.