RAMANATHAPURAM, November
27, 2012 | The Hindu
SPECIAL
CORRESPONDENT
Tamil Nadu Youth Congress President M Yuvaraja on Monday assured
the family members of five Thangachimadam fishermen, who were languishing in
Vellikadai prison in Sri Lanka that he would take up the issue with Youth
Congress President Rahul Gandhi and arrange to secure their early release.
The fishermen _ Emerson (30), Wilson (42), Agustus (33), Langlet
(20) and Prasath (35) _ were held by the Lankan Navy and later arrested by the
Sri Lankan Police on charges of drug peddling when they were fishing near
Neduntheevu islet, last November.
Mr. Yuvaraja, who was on a personal visit to Rameswaram, called
on the family members of the five fishermen and assured them that he would take
up the issue with Mr Gandhi, when he visits Delhi in a couple of days.
Moved by the plight of the family members, he said he would take
steps to bring the issue to the notice of External Affairs Ministry through Mr
Gandhi and do the needful to secure the early release of the fishermen.
He was accompanied by District Congress President A Ravichandra
Ramavanni, S .A.G.Manikandan, president, Ramanathapuram Parliamentary Youth
Congress, P.Muniasamy, State secretary, Congress Seva Dal, and Kannan Babu,
party spokesman.
Alleging that the drug peddling case was foisted against the
fishermen, Mr U Arulanandam, president of Alliance for Release of Innocent
Fishermen, said the fishermen have been languishing in prison for about a year
and presently lodged in Vellikadai prison.
The Lankan police had filed the charge sheet on November 20 and
the case is expected to come up for hearing during the second week of January,
he told The Hindu.
The state government was paying an assistance of Rs. 250 a day,
each to the five families and sanctioned Rs two lakhs to engage lawyers to
fight the case, he said.
Collector K Nanthakumar provided welfare assistances to the
families, he added.
