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Sri Lanka Navy again harasses Indian fishermen

Since India and Sri Lanka are not enemies, it will be prudent on their part to find an actionable solution. As a first step in moving towards a solution, the Sri Lankan navy should stop harassing fishermen and focus on its core duty, namely safeguarding the sea-lanes from pirates and smugglers.

POREG VIEW:
On June 26, Sri Lankan navy harassed Indian fishermen fishing near Katchatheevu. The Lankan Navy reportedly chased them away after cutting the ropes and damaging nets of 10 of their 45 boats.  The attack sparked off a furore in Chennai, and brought back from the back burner the Katchatheevu issue.

Against this background, the Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa wrote a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and voiced her concern over the huge loss suffered by fishermen on account of Lanka Navy’s attack. She said Delhi should ask Colombo to stop harassing Indian fishermen. Her letter coincided with the visit of India’s National Security Advisor (NSA) Shiv Shankar Menon to Colombo for discussions with President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Defence Secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa on political and economic package to the ethnic Tamils in the island nation.

Jayalalithaa’s point is simple and straight.  Fishermen hailing from Tamil Nadu have been "traditionally fishing" in Katchatheevu islet on the Palk Straits though it was ceded to Sri Lanka under Indira –Srimavo pact in 1974.  But Sri Lanka has been objecting to Tamil Nadu fishermen fishing in that area.

“You are aware”, the chief minister wrote in her letter, “that I have brought to your kind attention the various incidents of attack on Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu by the Sri Lankan Navy/miscreants within the past 12 months and sought your intervention”

This latest incident of harassment has created a "psychological fear" in the minds of the fishermen, she said.

Jayalalithaa added: “I wish to reiterate that from time immemorial fishermen of Tamil Nadu have been traditionally fishing in the waters near Katchatheevu, notwithstanding any geographical or political boundaries”.

She requested Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to impress upon Sri Lanka the need to instruct their navy to “exercise restraint and refrain from harassing innocent Indian fishermen pursuing their livelihood in their traditional waters”.

The fishermen issue has been pestering for long time. There have been instances when the Sri Lankan navy personnel opened fire on the Indian fishermen, who are unarmed, in a bid to chase them away.

The Indian concerns were taken up at the highest level with Colombo. Nothing much has come out of the dialogue and Indian fishermen are not only harassed but also often are arrested and taken to jails in the island nation. Once jailed, their release becomes a subject matter of court proceedings; the resultant delay is making several Indian fishermen languish in Lanka jails.

There are economic, political and diplomatic angles to the problem. Fishermen mostly those who set sail from Rameswaram or Kanyakumari are not using trawlers. Their mainstay is country boats. If they are entering Lankan waters, Sri Lankan fishermen are sailing all the way beyond Visakhapatnam on the coramandal coast in search of good catch. This only shows that when it comes to fishermen, who are neither educated nor guided by navigational tools, maritime boundaries mean little. The governments in both countries should find ways and means of educating the fishermen. It is a long haul.

Seizing the boats or destroying the nets is not a solution. Sadly it is the most preferred mode for the Sri Lankan navy. Such acts, whether indulged in Lankan Navy or Indian coast guard only push these unlettered fishermen into the hands of loan sharks.

Since India and Sri Lanka are not enemies and are bound by long centuries of ties, it will be prudent on their part to find an actionable solution.  The discussion should involve the stake-holders to give legitimacy to the solution. As a first step in moving towards a solution, the Sri Lankan navy should stop viewing fishermen as enemy and focus on its core duty, namely safeguarding the sea-lanes from pirates and smugglers.

Otherwise, fishermen issue will become a political football in Tamilnadu. It will impact relations between India and Sri Lanka. Whoever handles the fishermen issue in Colombo should not lose sight of the fact that fishermen in Northern Sri Lanka are also ignoring concepts like maritime boundaries and economic zones.

–M RAMA RAO

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