T.N. CM Vijay urges Centre to secure release of 25 Thoothukudi fishermen arrested by Maldives Coast Guard

Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay. File | Photo Credit: S. Siva Saravanan Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Thursday (October 15, 2026) wrote to Union External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, urging his intervention to secure the release of 25 Indian fishermen from Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu who were arrested by the Maldives Coast Guard.In his letter, the Chief Minister said the 25 fishermen from Thoothukudi district, along with their three mechanised fishing boats, were apprehended by the Maldives Coast Guard in the early hours of October 13.He requested the External Affairs Minister to take up the matter with the Maldivian government through appropriate diplomatic channels and facilitate the early release and safe repatriation of the fishermen and their boats. Published - October 15, 2026 04:03 pm IST