இந்திய மனிதாபிமானம்-மன்னார்க் கடலில் மீன் பிடிப்பது தமிழக - ஸ்ராலின் சம்மாட்டிகளின்- உரிமை!

Navy arrests 17 Indian fishers, seizes two boats in Mannar

The Sri Lanka Navy and Coast Guard seized two Indian fishing boats and arrested 17 Indian fishermen while they were poaching in Sri Lankan waters, during an operation conducted in the sea area North of Mannar in the dark hours of Monday (23).

The Navy continues to conduct regular patrols and operations in Sri Lankan waters to curb illegal fishing practices of foreign fishing boats, taking into account the impact of those practices on the livelihood of local fishermen.

The North Central Naval Command spotted a cluster of Indian fishing boats engaging in illegal fishing in Sri Lankan waters. In response, the Northern Naval Command and Coast Guard deployed its Fast Attack Craft and North Central Naval Command its Inshore Patrol Craft to drive away those Indian fishing boats poaching in the sea area North of Mannar. The operation resulted in the seizure of two Indian boats and arrest of 17 Indian fishermen who continued to remain in Sri Lankan waters.

The two seized boats together with 17 Indian fishermen were brought to the Talaimannar Pier and they will be handed over to the Mannar Fisheries Inspector for onward legal proceedings.

Including this operation, the Navy has held 72 Indian fishing boats and 554 Indian fishermen in island waters thus far in 2024, and handed them over to authorities for legal action.

     Daily News lk December 25, 2024 

17 Indian fishermen arrested for poaching in Sri Lankan waters

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17 Indian fishermen arrested by Sri Lanka repatriated

COLOMBO: Seventeen Indian fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly poaching in the island nation's waters have been repatriated, according to the Indian mission here.

Fishermen from both countries are arrested frequently for inadvertently trespassing into each other's waters.

"Homecoming! 17 Indian fishermen have been successfully repatriated and are on their way to Tamil Nadu, India," the High Commission of India here said in a post on X on Friday.

Press Trust Of India -PTI 25-12-2024 

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CM Stalin urges centre to uphold the rights of our (Tamil Nadu) fishing communities

Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin has sought urgent intervention from the centre after the arrest of 17 fishermen from Rameswaram and the seizure of their boats by the Sri Lankan navy. Stalin also highlighted attacks on fishermen from Nagapattinam, urging diplomatic action to ensure their safety and secure the release of detained individuals and boats.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday called for swift action from the central government regarding the arrest of 17 fishermen from Rameswaram by the Sri Lankan Navy. The fishermen and their two mechanised boats were detained on December 24.

Stalin conveyed his concerns in a letter to External affairs minister S Jaishankar, urging immediate diplomatic efforts for their release.

The chief minister also drew attention to two incidents from 20 December, where fishermen from Kodiyakkarai in Nagapattinam district faced attacks at sea. Six unidentified Sri Lankan nationals allegedly injured three fishermen and looted their fishing gear, including GPS devices, VHF equipment, mobile phones, and their catch.

Stalin expressed alarm over the growing dangers faced by Tamil Nadu’s fishing communities. "In 2024 alone, 530 fishermen were arrested and 71 boats have been confiscated till date. The recent apprehensions and attacks have created a sense of fear among the fishing folks who are solely dependent on fishing for their livelihood," he added.

Stalin appealed to the centre to take immediate diplomatic steps to secure the release of the detained fishermen and their boats. He also stressed the need for measures to prevent future attacks and ensure the safety of fishermen.

“This situation demands urgent attention to uphold the rights and livelihoods of our fishing communities,” Stalin emphasised in his letter to Jaishankar.

Israel killed 23 Palestinians, injured 39 others across Gaza in the past 24 hours

《 By Nils Adler and Urooba Jamal 25 Dec 2024 Al Jazeera 》

• Israel has killed at least 23 Palestinians and injured 39 others across Gaza in the past 24 hours, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry.

• FEWS NET, a US-created food crisis monitor, says a famine is unfolding in northern Gaza amid Israel’s near-total blockade on food supplies. It also warns that deaths from starvation could surpass famine levels as soon as next month.

• Christians in Gaza mark a sombre Christmas, praying for an end to Israel’s death and destruction, while in the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem – the birthplace of Jesus – many dedicate their prayers to the victims of Israel’s genocide.

• In Lebanon, Prime Minister Najib Mikati called on the United States and France-led monitoring committee to pressure Israel to cease violations of the ceasefire with Hezbollah and withdraw from the south of the country.

• Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 45,361 Palestinians and wounded 107,803 since October 7, 2023. At least 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks that day, and more than 200 were taken captive.

Photos: The aftermath of an Israeli bombardment in Khan Younis

Men mourn by the body of one of the victims killed in Khan Younis during an Israeli bombardment on tents sheltering displaced people [Bashar Taleb/AFP]

People inspect a damaged vehicle at the site of an Israeli bombardment on tents sheltering displaced people at a camp in Khan Younis [Bashar Taleb/AFP]

[Bashar Taleb/AFP]

[Bashar Taleb/AFP]

Taiwan: Reunification is inevitable: TAO

Reunification is inevitable: TAO

Chinese Communist Party officials gather in Beijing for the third plenary session of the
20th Central Committee in a photograph released on July 18. Photo: AP

The reunification of China and Taiwan is “non-negotiable,” China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) said today in response to an article by a Chinese academic suggesting that China would not set a timetable for the annexation of Taiwan in the next four years.

《By Chen Yu-fu and Hollie Younger / Staff reporter, with staff writer Taiwan News Wed, Dec 25, 2024》  

• China’s focus for the next four years would instead be revitalizing the economy, and not deciding a time to invade Taiwan, the head of Beijing’s Tsinghua University Department of International Relations Yan Xuetong (閻學通) wrote in an article for Foreign Affairs magazine on Friday last week. 

   

  The TAO today said it is the personal opinion of an academic. 

  Since 1949, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), China’s government and the Chinese people have committed to one day “resolve the Taiwan question” and “realize China's complete reunification as a historic mission and unshakeable commitment,” it said. 

  The reunification of the motherland is non-negotiable for the great revival of the Chinese race, TAO spokesman Chen Binhua (陳斌華) said in a news release.
  In Yan’s article “Why China isn’t scared of Trump,” Yan said that US president-elect Donald Trump would take more extreme policies to limit China’s development in his second presidential term, further destabilizing US-China relations.
  However, China’s leaders learned valuable lessons from Trump’s first term in office and “do not look at Trump with fear,” he wrote.
  “As Trump courts an escalation in the trade war, his administration will likely ramp up military pressure on Beijing,” especially in relation to the South China Sea, as Taiwanese independence remains “a source of friction between Beijing and Washington, but China and the United States are unlikely to go to war over it,” he said, as Trump “will not want to get entangled in the matter of Taiwan.”
  China and the US would instead focus on rebuilding their economies and domestic reforms, he added._____________________ 

   

  Biden approves US$571m Taiwan aid

  ALLIANCE: 

  • Washington continues to implement its policy of normalizing arms sales to Taiwan and helps enhance its defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said

  • Reuters, WASHINGTON
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  US President Joe Biden on Friday agreed to provide US$571.3 million in defense support for Taiwan, the White House said, while the US State Department approved the potential sale of US$265 million in military equipment.

  Biden had delegated to the secretary of state the authority “to direct the drawdown of up to US$571.3 million in defense articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training, to provide assistance to Taiwan,” the White House said in a statement.

  However, it did not provide specific details about this latest package, which was the third of its kind to Taiwan after the US$567 million and US$345 million in aid packages announced on Sept. 30 and on July 28 last year respectively.

   📺 WHY US NEED TAIWAN

  The US is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties between Washington and Taipei.

  China has stepped up military pressure against Taiwan, including daily military activities near the nation and two rounds of war games this year.

  Separately, the Pentagon said the US State Department had approved the potential sale to Taiwan of about US$265 million in command, control, communications and computer modernization equipment.

  In a news release, the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said it delivered the required certification, notifying the US Congress of the latest arms sale on Friday.

  The proposed arm sale includes the MIDS JTRS Variant 5, an enhancement to the Link-16 tactical data link system, for an estimated cost of US$265 million, the DSCA said.

  The system would enhance Taiwan’s “communications and network security for its command, control, communications, and computers capabilities,” it said.

  Among the items were MK 75-76mm gun mounts and related equipment for an estimated cost of US$30 million, the DSCA said in another news release.

  The gun mounts would improve Taiwan’s “capability to meet current and future threats by providing surface and air defenses onboard various ships in inventory,” it added.

  In Taipei, the Ministry of National Defense yesterday thanked the US for “its firm security commitment to Taiwan.”

  “Taiwan and the United States will continue to cooperate closely on security issues to maintain peace, stability and the status quo across the Taiwan Strait,” the ministry said it a statement.

  It said it would not comment on the “content” of the assistance “based on the tacit agreement between Taiwan and the United States.”

  The US continues to implement its policy of “normalizing” arms sales to Taiwan and is fulfilling its steadfast commitment and support for helping to enhance Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities and resilience, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

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Israeli occupation forces expand aggression in SW Syria

Israeli occupation forces expand aggression in SW Syria, seize local weapons

《 Press TV Wednesday, 25 December 2024 》

The Israeli military has expanded its invasion of the province of Quneitra in southwestern Syria, forcing the locals there to hand over their weapons to the regime’s occupation forces.

Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen television network said Israeli forces had fanned out across the provincial capital’s countryside.

The troops then ordered the locals and notable figures in the areas to surrender their arms.

Local sources recently were quoted as saying that the Israeli military had transferred more military hardware from Syria’s Tel Aviv-occupied Golan Heights to the province that is situated inside the occupied region.

According to locals, Israeli troops had invaded the town of Jubata al-Khashab in the province.

Meanwhile, Israeli helicopter gunships and spy drones are reportedly flying across the province’s airspace as well as the Hawz Yarmouk District in the western part of the neighboring province of Dara’a.

Recently, it was reported (i24NEWS + Russia)  that the Israeli military had occupied as much as 95 percent of Quneitra.

The developments take place amid markedly intensified Israeli aggression against Syria’s civilian and military infrastructures in the aftermath of the Arab country’s takeover by Western and Israeli-backed militants.

The regime had also ramped up its attacks against Syria in the run-up to the takeover in an apparent attempt at paving the way for the fall of the country’s government and the country’s invasion by the militants.

This is while numerous regional and international states and organizations have emphasized preserving the country’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity.⍐