The Hon. Ramalingam Chandrasekar - Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, before addressing today’s motion, I must note urgent matters in our maritime domain. Given tensions in our seas and international waters, incidents are occurring. We must protect our fishers and put in place a responsive plan. I earnestly urge our fishers not to cross into other maritime zones.

¶ 02 All know the current tensions in the Indian Ocean. If our fishers end up affected, that is bad for them and for the Ministry. About six days ago, two fishers who went to sea from Kankesanthurai were reported missing. We searched diligently. It is now known they were arrested by Indian coastal security. There were many debates and comments, but both we and our Navy searched in good faith. This afternoon we expect official clarity on their status and reasons for arrest. We will then engage diplomatically with India to secure their release.

¶ 03 Given broader issues like narcotics trafficking and heightened global vigilance—including by the Indian Navy—we again urge our fishers to exercise utmost caution.

¶ 04 Today is also significant for Parliament: we have an unprecedented number of women MPs, and International Women’s Day is on March 8. The Adjournment Motion brought by our colleague Hon. Samanmalee Gunasinghe is important: to assess women’s contribution to the national economy and to integrate unpaid care work through a National Care Policy.

¶ 05 Women’s participation is high not only here but across local authorities. Particularly in the North and East, after 30 years of war, women suffered immensely. There are over 89,000 war widows, largely in those provinces. In yesterday’s microfinance debate, it was noted that over 200 women—many from areas like Mullaitivu and Puthukudiyiruppu—died by suicide under unmanageable microfinance debt.

¶ 06 Today, however, women’s political participation from the North and East has increased significantly—something we can be proud of. In Jaffna District alone, over 26 women serve in local authorities, with women’s representation in the Northern Province around 23 percent.

¶ 07 Women are leading anti-poverty initiatives, anti-drug efforts and other social reforms. In fisheries, about 1.2 million families depend on the sector, with over 30 percent women’s contribution, especially in the North and East.

¶ 08 The most historically deprived women are the Plantation Tamil community, who laboured for generations and earned vital foreign exchange. Our government is investing to uplift that community—through wages, local development, welfare, roads and livelihoods—helping them move out of poverty and deprivation. It is thanks to the National People’s Power government that this shoulder-to-shoulder support is being provided.