Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to take up key issues concerning the state's fishermen with the visiting Sri Lankan Prime Minister, Harini Amarasuriya, during her three-day India visit from October 16 to 18.
In his letter, Stalin sought the Prime Minister's intervention to press for the retrieval of Katchatheevu Island, the release of 76 Indian fishermen and 242 fishing boats currently held by Sri Lankan authorities, and to address recurring incidents of violence and theft at sea.
Calling the visit an opportunity to resolve the "persistent challenges faced by Indian fishermen in the traditional fishing waters of the Palk Bay," Stalin said Tamil Nadu's fishing communities continued to face "harassment, attacks, and apprehensions" by the Sri Lankan navy since 2021. He added that 1,482 fishermen and 198 fishing boats have been apprehended in 106 separate incidents, causing "distress and economic loss."
Stalin reiterated that the Katchatheevu Island, once part of India, was transferred to Sri Lanka "without the consent of the Tamil Nadu government" and that the state Assembly has opposed the move since 1974. He urged the Centre to use this opportunity to initiate talks with the visiting Lankan Prime Minister for retrieving the island and restoring the traditional fishing rights of Tamil Nadu fishermen.
The chief minister also flagged the 2018 amendment to Sri Lanka's Fisheries Act, which allows nationalisation of seized Indian fishing boats, making retrieval impossible and causing severe financial hardship.
He also called for reviving the Joint Working Group (JWG) on Fisheries, which has not met regularly in recent years, to create a structured platform for addressing bilateral fishing issues.
Highlighting the "human and economic toll" of the continuing arrests and attacks, Stalin appealed to PM Modi to ensure "sustained diplomatic efforts" toward a lasting solution.
With elections coming up in Tamil Nadu, the chief minister said he has written 11 letters to the Prime Minister and 72 to the External Affairs Minister on the matter, underscoring the state's consistent efforts to seek central intervention.
In the past, the BJP at the centre blamed the Congress, an ally of the DMK, for ceding the tiny island to Sri Lanka and claimed not a single indian had been shot dead by the Lankan navy since 2014, when Narendra Modi became Prime Minister.
Hundreds of Indian fishermen have died from Lankan pellets over the last few decades for allegedly trespassing into Lankan waters. Opinion, however, is divided over the retrieval of Katchatheevu. While many welcome the idea, many also claim there are fish in Indian waters and getting back Katchatheevu won't help. They seek a long-term lease agreement with the Lankan government to pave the way for Indian fishermen to legally fish in Lankan waters.
