TAMIL NADU: NO FAITH IN GOVTS, FISHERS WANT GUNS

By G Saravanan
Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai, on January 25, 2011:


SENDING out a strong `message' to the state, central and Sri Lankan governments, several Tamil Nadu fishermen's associations have decided to seek firearms licences to protect themselves at sea.
For, recent mid-sea killings allegedly by the Lankan Navy have forced lakhs of fishermen in the 13 coastal districts to think about their safety, as the state and central governments have `failed' to avoid such conflicts on the Indo-Lankan maritime boundary.


K Bharathi, president of South Indian Fishermen Welfare Association, said they had lost faith in the Indian government. "Obtaining gun licences would definitely send the right message to the government," he told Express.
The Indian Fishermen Association said the government, besides granting gun licences, must distribute arms to all fishermen and train them in tackling the Lankan Navy.
Said its head M D Dayalan: "We believe that these cowa rdly acts will end only if they become a national issue. And that will happen only after firing incidents between TN fishermen and Lankan Navy are reported."