Indian Claims Regarding Katchatheevu Are Unfounded, Says Sri Lankan Minister

Colombo: According to Sri Lankan Minister of Fisheries Douglas Devananda, there is "no ground" for the claims made by India to be "reclaiming" Katchatheevu island from Sri Lanka.

Days before, the Narendra Modi administration had accused the Congress Party and its allies, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu, of neglecting national interests when they ceded Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka in 1974. This was the subject of the senior politician's remarks from Sri Lanka.

The two parties have also come under fire from the BJP for failing to protect the rights of fishermen who wish to fish in the seas surrounding Katchatheevu island.

Devananda told reporters in Jaffna on Thursday, "It is election time in India, so it is not unusual to hear such noises of claims and counterclaims about Katchatheevu."

"I believe that India is securing this location in order to guarantee that fishermen from Sri Lanka will not be able to access it, and that Sri Lanka will not be able to assert any rights in that productive area," Devananda stated.

Devananda has stated there is "no ground" for the claims of "reclaiming" Katchatheevu from Sri Lanka's control.

The minister from Sri Lanka stated that fishing was permitted in both nations' territorial seas as per the 1974 agreement. However, in 1976, it was revised and reevaluated.

Consequently, fishing in adjacent seas was outlawed for fishermen from both nations.

Devananda emphasised, "There are claims to a place called West Bank, which is situated below Kanyakumari. India secured it at the 1976 review agreement. It is a much bigger area with extensive sea resources, 80 times bigger than Katchatheevu." Local fishermen have put pressure on Devananda, the minister of fisheries, in recent months.

To put an end to their Indian colleagues' illicit fishing in Sri Lankan waters, the local fishermen have organised large-scale protests. They claim that the interests of the Sri Lankan fishing community are harmed by Indian bottom trawling.

The Sri Lanka Navy has detained at least 178 Indian fishermen and 23 trawlers so far this year.

In 1994, a Chennai court declared Devananda, an ex-Tamil militant and leader of the Eelam People's Democratic Party, a proclaimed criminal.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) avoided the controversy surrounding Katchatheevu island on Thursday.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal cited recent remarks made by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in response to a barrage of inquiries over the Katchatheevu problem.

"I would like to tell you that on the issues that have been raised, the external affairs minister has spoken to the press here in Delhi and also in Gujarat clarifying all the issues," he stated.

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"I ask that you kindly review his press appearances. There, you will find the answers," Jaiswal stated in New Delhi.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) avoided the controversy surrounding Katchatheevu island on Thursday.