Overview
- Chief Minister M K Stalin wrote to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on February 14 seeking urgent action to bring the fishermen home.
- The nine fishermen were moved to the Mirihana Detention Centre on February 5 and remain in custody pending consular and administrative processing.
- A Jaffna court tried 12 fishermen on February 3, ordering nine released and sentencing three boat drivers to six months’ rigorous imprisonment.
- Each of the three sentenced boat drivers was fined LKR 11.60 lakh, with an additional three months’ imprisonment if the fine is not paid.
- The detainees include three men from Mandapam arrested on December 28, 2025, and nine from Mayiladuthurai apprehended on January 3, with Stalin citing hardship for the men and their families.