Irrespective of the kind of chemistry of actor Salman Khan and President Mahinda Rajapaksa may generate in the January 8, 2015 ballot, New Delhi needs to do more to prevent Indian fishermen from breaching the Indo-Sri Lanka maritime boundary and landing up in jail or worse.
The five fishermen on death gallows pardoned by President Rajapaksa were arrested off Jaffna waters allegedly with drugs in their boat in 2011. Their release after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention did seem to have eased the tension in the relations between the two countries over the visits by Chinese nuclear armed submarines to Sri Lanka ports.
Actor Salman Khan’s visit to Colombo to campaign for Rajapaksa in his third presidential bid could have something to do with the latter’s attempts to woo the Muslim community, which is concentrated in the eastern province but it has not gone down well with the likes of Vaiko’s MDMK in Tamil Nadu, who are opposed to Mahinda Rajapaksa; they have dubbed the actor a “traitor”.
Every year several hundred Indian fishermen are taken into custody by Sri Lanka mainly in and around the Katchatheevu Island where Tamil Nadu fisherfolk are allowed to fish and dry their nets under a 1974 accord. But as part of the Sri Lankan civil war, this arrangement had led to many difficulties with the Sri Lankan Navy that was deployed to prevent smuggling of weapons by the LTTE. Though the Eelam War has ended, troubles for Indian fishermen off Katchatheevu have not. This is one reason why some TN politicians have challenged the agreement in the Supreme Court and have been asking Delhi to take back the island. That is beside the point.
Katchatheevu is home to a Catholic Church, St. Antony’s shrine. which holds a century old traditions; it was built by a Tamilian, Srinivasa Padaiyachi.The Church festival, which is a three-day affair draws piligrims from India and Sri Lanka. Priests from both countries conduct the mass and car procession.
Every year hundreds of Indian fishermen are arrested, beaten up and dumped in jails by Sri Lanka off the Palk Straits and by Pakistan in Sir Creek. In 2014 alone, more than 700 fishermen were arrested by Sri Lanka; their boats and catch seized. The death penalty for five fishermen of Rameswaram who were caught a while ago made relations between the two countries to hit a new low till Rajapaksa exercised the presidential pardon and sent them back home. These gestures of exchange exude a false sense of camaraderie between the two countries and can be avoided.
The Indian Navy is in overall command of the defence of Indian maritime interests while the Indian Coast Guard maintains vigil within the 200-km Exclusive Economic Zone. Both will have to devise failsafe methods by which Indian fishermen are not harassed with unpleasant consequences in Tamil Nadu.
In recent times the Coast Guard has been receiving inshore fast attack craft of Rani Abbakaa class based on Australian Thornycroft design to facilitate patrolling. These vessels with top speed touching nearly 58 kmph) are fitted with an advanced Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS). The CG should deploy such boats around Katchatheevu to ensure that there is no intrusion into Sri Lankan territorial waters even as Indian fisherfolk continue to exercise their fishing rights without interference from the Sri Lankan Navy.
The defence of the offshore island territories of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the east and the Lakshadweep islands on the west is important; equally important if no more is the need to restrict developments closer to home as in relations with Sri Lanka in Kachchativu and with Pakistan in Sir Creek. Protection of Indian fisherfolk in these waters has the added advantage of generating intelligence about inimical elements. The mandatory installation of communications and spatial equipment should enable the Indian Coast Guard to discern between Indian and non-Indian users of the seas close to Indian coastline must be strictly enforced. This could help prevent the kind of attack organized by Pakistani terrorist on Mumbai in 2008.
– Eklavya
