Sri Lanka President Visits Katchatheevu Island, Vows To Protect Territory

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake visited Katchatheevu on Monday, becoming the first Lankan head of state to visit the island, the tiny island in the Palk Strait that India ceded to Sri Lanka in the 1970s.

Responding to mounting demands from Tamil Nadu to retrieve the island to help Indian fishermen get a larger area to fish, President Dissanayake said he was committed to safeguarding Sri Lanka's seas, islands, and landmass, signaling Colombo's firm stance on retaining Katchatheevu.

With state elections due in April next year, the controversy has seen political leaders and popular figures weighing in.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin has repeatedly urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to directly intervene, alleging that the BJP government has failed to protect the interests of Tamil fishermen over the past decade. Resolutions have been adopted in the state assembly as well. Recently, actor-politician Vijay, too, at his Madurai conference, demanded PM Modi to reclaim Katchatheevu.

A Persistent Problem For Fishermen

Katchatheevu, a 1.9 sq km island, lies 12 nautical miles off Rameswaram. Though historically fishermen from both sides crossed boundaries to fish, over the last three decades, Indian fishermen, particularly from Tamil Nadu, have been caught in the crossfire of the dispute. With shrinking fish stocks in Indian waters, they often cross into Sri Lankan territory, leading to arrests, confiscation of boats, and occasional clashes with the Lankan navy. Some also stray into Lankan waters.

Colombo, meanwhile, insists that Indian fishermen are trespassing, further complicating diplomatic ties. More than a thousand Indian fishermen have been killed by Lankan pellets over the last several decades.

BJP's Counter And The Political Flashpoint

The BJP in power at the Centre has consistently countered the DMK's accusations by blaming the Congress and DMK regimes for having ceded Katchatheevu in the first place. BJP leaders maintain that while the island's retrieval remains uncertain, their government has ensured that the Sri Lankan navy has stopped firing at Indian fishermen - an issue that claimed hundreds of lives in previous decades.

Experts Suggest Alternative Solutions

Maritime experts caution that the retrieval of Katchatheevu alone will not solve the core issue. They argue that the depletion of fish in Indian waters is the root cause driving Tamil Nadu fishermen across the maritime boundary. A long-term lease agreement with Sri Lanka, granting Indian fishermen access to Lankan waters, has been suggested as a more practical and lasting solution.

With President Dissanayake's symbolic, assertive visit, Katchatheevu is once again at the centre of political and diplomatic discussions - an issue that blends questions of sovereignty, livelihood, and regional pride.