Jaffna fishermen protest

[TamilNet, Monday, 07 February 2000, 07:03 GMT]
More than 7000 fishermen today staged a protest march demanding that the ban on fishing in the Jaffna lagoon be lifted. The fishermen began their march from Jaffna St James Church towards the District Secretariat to hand over a memorandum to be sent to the President of the country.

Fishermen from Colombuthurai and Gurunagar assembled at St.James Church. The protest march began with carrying placards and shouting slogans around nine today morning.

The protest march was led by the Vicar General of the Jaffna Catholic Diocese Rev Fr. X.Selvarajah. Several members of the Catholic clergy.

The protest march went through the Main Street and Temple Road reached Jaffna Secretariat where the leaders handed over the memorandum addressed to the President to the Government Agent and copies to the Delegates of the International Committee of Red Cross and Human Rights Commission Unit in Jaffna.

Due to the ban on fishing in Jaffna lagoon since December last year more than 2500 families from Gurunagar, Pashaiyoor, Colombuthurai and Ariyalai are undergoing hardships in running their day to day life.

The ban on fishing in Jaffna lagoon is also preventing the fishermen even going to the sea to retrieve their nets valued at 25 million rupees, sources said.