Chennai: A fisherman was killed during a police chase and an alleged attack on him at Kasimedu harbour in Chennai on Friday night.  Fisherman Thamilarasu (35) of CG Colony, Kasimedu and his friends were said to be playing cards on a boat docked at Kasimedu harbour on Friday night. Kasimedu policemen, while on rounds, tried to apprehend them. Police chased the fleeing fishermen and a cop allegedly threw his lathi at them, a fisherman said. “The impact of the lathi injured Thamilarasu’s eye and he subsequently fell into the sea and went missing,” the fishermen alleged.
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Police and local fishermen found his body onshore later. Meanwhile, the news of Thamilarasu’s death spread among other fishermen and they protested on Saturday morning, seeking action against the policemen who had allegedly chased Thamilarasu.Thamilarasu’s wife Deepika and relatives refused to allow the post-mortem and demanded a government job. However, police officers pacified the agitators.

Chennai: Expressing support to the cyclone Ockhi-affected fishermen of Kanyakumari district, the fishermen associations have appealed to their men who are “solid traditional vote bank” in the R. K. Nagar Assembly constituency to vote against the AIADMK candidate in the December 21 by-poll.
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Raising several issues confronting the fishers including hundreds of deep sea fishermen who perished at sea when Ockhi lashed the Kanyakumari coast on Nov. 30, the South Indian Fishermen Welfare Association said scores of fishermen who set out to the sea to fish, still remained untraced. 

“Over 500 fishermen are missing and those responsible for this situation and for the loss of lives at sea, should be taught a befitting lesson in this by-poll,” the association leaders said.

“The fishermen's votes, which account for about 55,000 spread across 20 villages in R. K. Nagar are the deciding factor that could tilt the scales in favour of a particular party. In the past we have voted for the AIADMK, but now owing the problems faced by our families due to cyclone Ockhi we have decided to appeal our people to ponder and vote against the AIADMK,” says South Indian Fishermen Welfare Association president K Bharathi.

Rameswaram: Twenty-seven Tamil Nadu fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly fishing in their territorial waters early on Tuesday, an official said.

The fishermen from Jegadapattinam and Kottaipattinam in Pudukottai district were arrested off Neduntheevu by the Lankan Navy and taken to Kangesanthurai port in Rameshwaram along with five boats, Assistant Director of Fisheries department, Pudukottai, Kumaresan said.

In another incident, nearly 3,000 fishermen who had ventured into the sea on Monday evening in 500 boats from Rameshwaram were chased away by the Lankan Naval personnel while they were fishing near Katchatheevu islet, Rameswaram Fishermen Association President S Emerit said.

The Lankan Navy came to the spot and opened fire in the air to drive off the large group of fishermen before damaging their fishing equipment, he added.

The fishermen were forced to return to the shore without a catch, he said.
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On December 2, 20 fishermen from Nagapattinam district were arrested by the Lankan Navy on charges of fishing off Neduntheevu.​