Colombo - Sri Lanka's foreign minister has dismissed the idea of reopening discussions regarding a longstanding dispute over Katchatheevu island, which was ceded to Sri Lanka by India 50 years ago. This statement follows heightened attention to the territorial issue during India's upcoming elections.
The ruling party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has brought attention to the grievances of Indian fishermen, who have been restricted from fishing in the waters surrounding Katchatheevu since a bilateral agreement was signed in 1976. However, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry emphasized that the matter was settled decades ago and sees no reason for further negotiations.
Sabry stated in an interview with domestic television channel Hiru, "This issue was resolved 50 years ago, and there is no need for further discussions." He also noted that there hasn't been any indication of a desire to alter the island's status, situated 33 km off the coast of India in the Palk Strait.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Modi, has made the 285-acre island a focal point of their election campaign, accusing the opposition Congress party of mishandling its transfer. With aspirations to gain political ground in the coastal state of Tamil Nadu, where the island is located, the BJP aims to rectify its previous failure to secure seats in the region during the last election.
Tamil Nadu is set to commence voting on April 19, marking the beginning of a seven-round election process ending on June 1.
The dispute over Katchatheevu stems from India's relinquishment of the island to Sri Lanka in 1974, followed by the fishing rights agreement in 1976. Despite this, discontent over the transfer and the limited fishing rights has led to two unresolved challenges in the Indian Supreme Court over the past two decades.
Incidents of fishermen from both countries violating the fishing pact in the waters surrounding Katchatheevu have occurred intermittently. Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar recently disclosed that Sri Lanka has detained over 6,000 Indian fishermen and 1,175 fishing vessels in the last two decades due to violations of the no-fishing agreement.
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