The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) is planning to launch protests against the government after being accused of not intervening to solve problems of the oppressed people in the North.
The fishing community is scheduled to hold protests in the Northern Province on October 17 and 18 against the non-payment of fertilizer subsidies and the ban on chemical fertilizers and the non-enforcement of the law against unauthorized Indian fishermen.
“The protests will be held on October 17 in front of 28 Agrarian Centers in the Jaffna District in accordance with health guidelines demanding solutions to the problems faced by farmers. The protest on fisheries issues is being held in a boat procession from Mullaitivu sea to Point Pedro,” said TNA MP Abraham Sumanthiran at a press conference in Jaffna on October 13.
The TNA MP points out that the government is reluctant to implement the laws that have been enacted to prevent the entry of unauthorized Indian fishermen.
“Even though the Fisheries Minister is a Tamil, the situation is such where Indian trawlers are able to come and harm the fishermen in the North and take away their marine resources as the law is not enforced against this injustice caused to Tamil fishermen. We are preparing to protest against it,” Sumanthiran said.
Sumanthiran also said that the TNA had reached an agreement with other opposition leaders in the South to hold fisher and farming communities agitations in their respective areas.
Meanwhile, the fishermen’s associations had received complaints on October 11 that nets worth over Rs. 200 000 belonging to four Sri Lankan fishermen who were fishing in Mullaitivu had been destroyed by Indian trawler boats.
