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Foreign Minister steps in to bring back Parami’s father
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Parami mends fishing nets with her mother and sister
Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena has intervened to take speedy action to bring back young Sri Lankan athlete Parami Wasanthi Maristela’s father and other fishermen, who have been stranded in India’s Andaman Islands for about a month after being released from custody.
They were arrested for illegally straying into Andaman’s waters.
Mr Gunawardena’s attention had been drawn to last week’s Sunday Times report which carried the appeal from Parami and her family, urging the Government to intervene and bring back the stranded fishermen, according to a statement from the office of the Leader of the House of Parliament.
The statement said the Minister had personally got in touch with Sri Lanka’s acting High Commissioner and instructed him to make arrangements to bring back the stranded Sri Lankan fishermen.
The Foreign Ministry also had obtained the required information from Parami.
The Ministry is making arrangements to bring back the fishermen as soon as possible, the statement added.
On January 4 this year, Parami’s father went out fishing in a trawler but it drifted towards the Andaman Islands when the engine developed a problem and stalled. They were detained for a few weeks and released, but since their trawler was disabled they could not make the return journey.
“My father and the other fishermen are helpless in the Andaman Islands,” Parami told the Sunday Timeslast week.
Parami exercises on the beach close to home (Pix by Hiran Priyankara Jayasinghe)
Parami who won the bronze medal at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Argentina in the 200 metre steeplechase event, is preparing to sit the GCE (O/L) examination. She says her ambition is to represent Sri Lanka at the 3000m event at a future Olympic meet.
“I do not want anything else. I only want help to bring my father back to Sri Lanka,” Parami said.