NEW DELHI, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Fishermen in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu began an indefinite strike on Wednesday demanding release of fellow fishermen detained by Sri Lankan navy, officials said.
The strike began in Pudukottai district, about 384 km south of Chennai city, the capital of Tamil Nadu.
"The fishermen announced an indefinite strike from today, urging immediate release of fishermen and their boats by Sri Lanka," a local official said.
At least 53 Indian fishermen from Pudukottai and Ramanathapuram districts of Tami Nadu were apprehended and 13 of their fishing boats seized by Sri Lankan Navy on Tuesday when they were fishing in Lankan waters.
The fishermen were apprehended while they were fishing near Neduntheevu, an island in the Palk Strait in northern Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edapady K. Palaniswami has urged Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and secure the release of all fishermen lodged in Sri Lankan jail and 125 mechanized boats detained by Sri Lanka.
Fishermen of two countries are often jailed for accidentally crossing into each other's territory.
The fishermen from two countries traverse poorly defined boundary in the international waters as most fishing boats lack technologies to locate exact positions.
