Six Tamil Nadu fishermen injured in attack by SL Navy

In the second such incident in two days, six Tamil Nadu

fishermen were injured when they were allegedly attacked today by the Sri

Lankan navy which also detained 13 others near Katchatheevu in the Palk

Straits,Official sources said the Lankan Navymen attacked the

fishermen with stones, nylon ropes and rods and took away their three boats.Gnanasekaran, who suffered head injury, has been admitted to

a hospital here while five others suffered minor injuries, they said, adding,

the fishermen were near Katchatheevu, an islet ceded to Sri Lanka by India

under an agreement in 1974.The detained fishermen had been taken to Mannar district in

Sri Lanka for being remanded there, the sources said.On Sunday, the Lankan Navy allegedly took away at gun point

the catch netted by fishermen who put to sea from here, when they were near

Katchatheevu after surrounding 10 boats.In another incident on the same day in Nagapattinam, eight

fishermen of Vedaranyam village were injured in an attack allegedly by Sri

Lankan naval personnel in mid-sea off Arukattuthurai in Tamil Nadu.Today's attack comes a day after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister

Jayalalithaa wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, charging the government

with "soft handling" the issue of Sri Lankan Navy's alleged attacks

on Tamil Nadu fishermen.Jayalalithaa had said "soft handling" had

emboldened the Sri Lankan Navy to attack and harass fishermen of Tamil Nadu

with impunity, and asked the government to ensure that the island nation's navy

refrains from doing so.Ruling UPA key ally DMK chief M Karunanidhi had also slammed

recurring attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen and demanded that the Centre seek a

strong and permanent solution to the vexed issue.