JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — A former head of the Jaffna District Fisheries Federation accused an associate of Fisheries Minister Ramalingam Chandrasekar on Thursday of pressuring officials to grant land for a sea cucumber hatchery to a local leader of the governing National People's Power's Praja Shakthi programme on one of the islands off Jaffna.
Annalingam Annarasa, the federation's former chairman, made the allegation at a news conference in Jaffna. He said he knew the associate's identity and had evidence to support his claim, but declined to name the person. He said he would do so publicly if the project was not dropped.
"For now, I have pointed out that they are pursuing a misguided project," Mr. Annarasa said. "I urge those concerned to take notice and abandon the proposed project. Otherwise, I will disclose the person's name to the public."
He did not present the evidence he said he holds, and his account could not be independently verified.
Mr. Annarasa said a sea cucumber hatchery had been set up on the islands before and had failed. "Why are they so eager to revive a project that has already failed?" he asked.
His remarks were part of a broader attack on the minister's support for sea cucumber farming along the northern coast. He said the farms were being established widely to produce a species that local communities do not eat and that is largely consumed in China.
"Sea cucumbers are not part of our people's diet," he said, adding that the farms were being set up in ways that harm the marine environment and prevent fish stocks from recovering. "A time may come when our people will no longer have enough fish to eat."
Mr. Annarasa said fishing groups in the North planned to work with organizations in the south of the country to hold protests late this month against what he described as illegal sea cucumber farms operating in the Northern Province.
He called on Mr. Chandrasekar to halt the activities immediately. "Otherwise, we will mobilize the fishing communities and launch a major protest," he said.
