Making her first official visit after assuming office, Amarasuriya, who had her graduation in New Delhi’s Hindu College, is on a three-day state visit to India from October 16 to 18.
File Photo: IANS
Terming the three-day official visit of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya as a valuable opportunity to resolve longstanding issues, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin on Thursday said India should utilise this occasion to raise retrieval of Katchatheevu and the persistent challenges faced by Indian fishermen in the traditional fishing waters of the Palk Bay.
Making her first official visit after assuming office, Amarasuriya, who had her graduation in New Delhi’s Hindu College, is on a three-day state visit to India from October 16 to 18.
Advertisement
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the chief minister said, “I request you to use this opportunity to initiate dialogues with the visiting prime minister of Sri Lanka for the retrieval of Katchatheevu island and also for the restoration of the traditional fishing rights of our fishermen in Palk Bay. This is therefore of utmost importance to resolve the longstanding and distressing issues faced by the fishing community.”
Advertisement
On the persisting attacks on fishermen and their arrests by the island’s Navy , Stalin said, “The fishing communities of Tamil Nadu continue to face significant hardships due to the recurring incidents of harassment, attacks, and apprehensions by the Sri Lankan Navy. Since 2021, 1,482 fishermen and 198 fishing boats have been apprehended in 106 separate incidents, causing distress and economic loss to these communities.”
The chief minister stressed that his government has consistently sought New Delhi’s intervention to address these issues through diplomatic channels. “I have raised this matter with your office on eleven occasions and made seventy-two representations to the Hon’ble Minister for External Affairs,” he recalled and requested that the retrieval of Katchatheevu and the fishermen issue be discussed with the visiting Prime Minister of the island nation during the visit.
Echoing the political consensus in the state that retrieval of Katchatheevu, ceded to Sri Lanka in lieu of the marine resource rich Wadge Bank south of Kanniyakumari, Stalin said Tamil Nadu fishermen have traditionally engaged in fishing around that tiny rocky islet. “The island, which was historically part of India, was transferred to Sri Lanka by the Union government without obtaining the consent of the state government and without following due process – a decision that has been consistently opposed by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly since 1974. As a result, our fishermen now face restricted access to their traditional fishing grounds and frequent harassment on charges of trespassing,” he pointed out, emphasising the need to retrieve the islet.
As on date, 76 fishermen and 242 fishing boats from Tamil Nadu remain in Sri Lankan custody, the chief minister said and urged the prime minister to press for the release of the fishermen and the prompt repatriation of their vessels.
Further, he drew attention to the frequent attacks on fishermen and thefts of fishing equipment and their catch in the mid seas, allegedly perpetrated by Lankan nationals which have instilled a sense of insecurity among the coastal communities. Further, the 2018 amendment to the Sri Lankan Fisheries Act, paving the way for nationalisation of seized Indian fishing boats, had made their retrieval impossible and to address the fishermen issue in a holistic manner, Stalin demanded enhanced diplomatic engagements and reviving and revitalising the Joint-Working Group on Fisheries (JWG) to resolve bilateral issues. Reviving that mechanism, remaining inactive in recent years, would provide a structured platform to address the concerns of fishermen from both sides, he said.
Advertisement
