By Ramesh Mathew/Reporter
South Asian Fishermen’s Fraternity (SAFF), a forum championing issues concerning fishermen in South Asia and Arabian Peninsula, has criticised the Indian federal government for “failing” to secure the release of 29 Indian fishermen from Qatar, who are now detained in Iran for reportedly straying into the Persian country’s territorial waters.
SAFF consists of fishermen associations from India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
In a statement issued yesterday, a copy of which was sent to this newspaper, SAFF said it has been almost more than two months since the fishermen were apprehended by Iranian coastguards while fishing in that country’s territory. The fishermen along with their six boats were detained by the coastguards on October 8. Except for two members, the rest of 29 fishermen hailed from the Kannyakumari district in southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The other two are from Kerala.
“It is unfortunate to hear that no initiative at the diplomatic level has been made so far by the India government even though it has been close to 75 days since the fishermen were detained by the Iranian coastguards,” said SAFF in a statement sent from Bangalore yesterday.
In Doha, when contacted SAFF regional (legal) co-ordinator Nizar Kochery said the fishermen have been housed in a jail in the southern region of Iran. “Until yesterday no judicial initiative at any level could be made to secure their release. The fishermen also complain of lack of food,” he said.
SAFF also called upon the Indian authorities to take a lesson or two from their Italian counterparts who successfully secured permission from the Kerala High Court on Wednesday to enabling two Italian sailors charged with the murder of two Indian fishermen, to travel home for Christmas on the condition that they would return to India latest by
January 10.
Conservative estimates put the number of fishermen from Kannyakumari district, in Qatar these days anywhere between 2,500 and 3,000.