Tamil Nadu chief minister O Panneerselvam has taken exception to the reported remarks of Sri Lankan Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraveera in a section of the media that the confiscated boats from Tamil Nadu fishermen would be nationalized. The view of the Sri Lankan Minister has reportedly been echoed by the fisheries minister of its North Eastern Provincial Council Balasubramaniam Deniswaran.<br/><br/>In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi today, Tamil Nadu chief minister has termed the development as unfortunate, coming at a time when the Indo-Sri Lanka Joint Working Group on Fisheries met in New Delhi on 31st of December last and is due to meet again on the sidelines of the Ministerial meeting at Colombo today. He has said the statements are alarming when Indian fishermen have come forward with an accommodative frame of mind, to find a resolution to the long pending livelihood issue.<br/><br/>He has said, such provocative statements are clearly veiled threats to intimidate Indian fishermen from exercising their traditional fishing rights in the Palk Bay for centuries. Such statements appear to mock the diplomatic efforts to sort out the sensitive issue and vitiate the atmosphere before the talks. He has urged the Centre to register its disapproval of such remarks at the appropriate level. There are 114 fishing boats of Tamil Nadu fishermen in Sri Lankan custody.