- Friday, April 04, 2025
The chief minister pointed out that the origin of the problem was the Indo-Sri Lankan treaty (Katchatheevu Agreement) of the year 1974
By: India Weekly
TAMIL NADU chief minister M K Stalin on Thursday urged prime minister Narendra Modi to take immediate steps for retrieving the Katchatheevu island from Sri Lanka to ensure permanent protection of the traditional fishing rights of the state’s fishermen in the Palk Bay area.
Writing to Modi, Stalin cited the assembly resolution passed on April 2, 2025 seeking retrieval of Katchatheevu island from Sri Lanka, and underscored that the origin of the problem was the Indo-Sri Lankan treaty (Katchatheevu Agreement) of the year 1974.
The government of Tamil Nadu has been steadfast in opposing the Katchatheevu agreement right from the beginning.
The Members of Parliament from Tamil Nadu had strongly opposed the ceding of Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka in Parliament in 1974.
The Tamil Nadu legislative assembly had passed resolutions in 1991, 2013 and 2014 reiterating the consistent demand of retrieving the Katchatheevu Island to protect the traditional fishing rights of the state’s fishermen.
The CM said: “The frequent apprehensions of our fishermen and seizure of their boats in large numbers have put the lives of coastal community in a state of permanent anxiety and distress. The livelihood of the fishermen has also become uncertain due to the arrests and seizures.
“I have personally brought this issue to your notice for immediate intervention, during our first meeting on 17.06.2021 after my assumption of office as Chief Minister and also reiterated our earlier requests for a permanent solution of this issue in our subsequent meetings as well.
Since 2021, I have also written many letters to the external affairs minister and yourself on the arrests and attacks on Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy.”
In the year 2024, 530 Indian fishermen were arrested, and in the first three months of the year 2025, 147 fishermen were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy.
In this regard, the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly unanimously passed a resolution on April 2, 2025, urging the union government to immediately review the Indo-Sri Lankan Agreement and take all steps to retrieve Katchatheevu island and also to urge the Prime Minister to hold talks with the Sri Lankan government to get “all our imprisoned fishermen released along with their boats on a goodwill basis,” during his upcoming official visit to Sri Lanka.
Stalin said: “I request your good office to take immediate steps to review the Indo-Sri Lankan Agreement at the earliest so that the Katchatheevu Island is retrieved and the traditional fishing rights of our fishermen are permanently protected.” (PTI)
