Tamil Nadu's Pattali Makkal Kachchi leader S Ramadoss on Thursday termed external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj's advice to Tamil Nadu fishermen not to trespass into the territorial waters of Sri Lanka as shocking. 

"It is not fair on the part of the government to suspect the fishermen who sought protection from the Sri Lankan navy," Ramadoss said in a statement. 

"Sri Lankan minister D M Swaminathan who met media in Chennai on Wednesday threatened to shoot fishermen crossing the Sri Lankan border for fishing. In this circumstance, Swaraj's statement that the fishermen themselves are responsible for the consequences if they cross the border for fishing is shocking," he said. 

The PMK leader said the government had submitted in the Madurai branch of the Madras High Court that Tamil Nadu fishermen deliberately crossed the Sri Lankan border for fishing and were also involved in smuggling of gold and narcotics. "This is an insult to the Tamil Nadu fishermen and highly condemnable," he said. 

The government should stop blaming the Tamil Nadu fishermen and investigate the actual issues involved in fishing and evolve a practical strategy to solve this contentious issue. 

"The area of sea between the two nations is very narrow. The international border comes within 12 nautical miles off Rameswaram. It is unavoidable that Indian fishermen using mechanized boats enter the Sri Lankan waters and their Lankan counterparts enter the Indian waters. The problem became further complicated after Katchatheevu was gifted to Sri Lanka," said Ramadoss. 

It was the responsibility of the Centre to facilitate consultations between the fishermen of two countries and help them comply with the agreements arrived during such talks, Ramadoss said. 

He said Indian fishermen trespass in Sri Lankan waters very rarely. "What happens more frequently is that Sri Lankan navy enters Indian waters deliberately and attacks Indian fishermen," he accused. 

More than 100 fishermen from Nagapattinam, Pudukottai and Rameswaram were in New Delhi as part of a BJP delegation. When their representatives met Swaraj on Wednesday, she advised the fishermen not to trespass into the Sri Lankan waters and invite trouble. 

(With inputs from Times of India)