19.05.2007
(By Walter Jayawardhana)

Eleven out the twelve South Indian fishermen allegedly kidnapped by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have been released by the kidnappers and returned to their home state of Tamil Nadu Indian police reports said.

It is not known under what conditions the Tamil fishermen were released by their alleged kidnappers , the Tamil Tigers. Tamil Nadu's Police Commissioner, D. Mukherjee on April 27 announced that five Tamil Nadu fishermen have been killed by the Sea Tigers , the naval wing of the LTTE and 12 others have been kidnapped by the same group.

After it was revealed by the Tamil Nadu police itself about the perpetrators of the crime the ruling DMK is believed to have negotiated with the LTTE for the release of the kidnapped fishermen.

Meanwhile India's Janata Party President, Subramanian Swami called the killing and the kidnapping of the fishermen a challenge by the LTTE on India's sovereignty.

The eleven fishermen claimed to have been released by the LTTE reached India in two batches. While one group of five reached Rameshwaram another group of six people arrived at an unknown place. Both groups were interrogated by the Tamil Nadu police about the kidnapping, sources said. But the boat mechanic, the 12 th person who was a Malayali, from Kerala did not return with the others police reports said.

The missing mechanic from Kerala would have come under the custody of the Maldivian authorities when a suspected LTTE boat was destroyed there. The Kerala man was the first to jump out of the LTTE boat when it was being pursued by the Maldivian Coast Guard authorities, police sources in India said.

The 12 fishermen from Kodimunai in Kanyakumari district had set sail in the fishing craft 'Sri Krishna' on March 7. Apart from the Malayali mechanic Simon, the rest hail from Kanyakumari and Tuticorin districts of Tamil Nadu.

The Tamil Nadu police suspect that the vessel destroyed by the Maldivian authorities while being engaged in alleged gun running was the same boat.