By Dr. Santhosh Mathew and Sruthylacshmi B. Bhat 15 November 2023
Introduction
Katchatheevu is a mirage that keeps coming to the Tamil people like an unasked-for vada with masala dosa when elections are around the corner.
The island is merely 285 acres in area with no fresh water. It was unilaterally handed over to Sri Lanka by the Indira Gandhi government in 1974. The island, which is just 1.15 square kilometres in area, was transferred to the Pakistan Strait in 1976. Tamil political leaders are now demanding the return of this small island, which Tamil fishermen have used for decades to relax and dry fishing nets. The only building on the island is the Roman Catholic Church, named after Saint Anthony. The Sri Lankan government allows about 3,000 people a year to attend the feast of Saint Anthony, the most beloved of Tamil Christians, without visas or passports.
The Tamils have demanded a hold of their holy land and its premises, which are currently under the Jaffna Diocese. This island and its surroundings were under the old princely state of Ramnad. The dispute over the fishing traffic around this island, which is only 15 miles from Rameswaram, is affecting even India-Sri Lanka relations. Hundreds of Indian fishermen had violated the maritime boundary and were thrown into Sri Lankan prisons. Fishermen from Rameswaram, Nagapattinam, Cuddalore, and Karakal have historically used Katchatheevu to dry their cloth nets and the spot as a pitstop. The central government authorities handed over the island unbeknownst to the Tamil Nadu state assembly. The State government has been strongly emphasising their interest in the island and has been demanding to attach Katchatheevu to the boundary of India’s territory.
The History of the Give-Away
The claim over Katchatheevu was relinquished by the ruling Prime Minister of 1974, Indira Gandhi, with the then Sri Lankan President Srimavo Bandaranaike, discussing and negotiating the maritime boundary in the Palk Strait. Historically, the land under the custody of the Raja of Ramnad was later conceded to the Madras Presidency during British rule. Ramanathapuram, after Independence, came under the Tamil Nadu state government, and the need to retain the territorial integrity was strongly felt by the Tamil leaders. M. Karunanidhi, then chief minister of Tamil Nadu, wrote to Indira Gandhi on the Ramnad links with Katchatheevu island.
The public was yet to be bothered by the agreement as it did not specify the fishing rights in the waters. The fishing business was carried on as usual until the Emergency period. In 1976, the state government powers were dismissed, and a solitary finalisation was made on the boundary without the deliberation of the state assembly or the Parliament. Exclusive Economic Zones were marked beyond the respective boundaries and the fishing practice engaging in the other’s territorial waters were restricted. However, during the civil war era, the fishermen could easily cross boundaries and practise, thanks to the liberties extended by the LTTE group, who had occupied the northern part of the country.
In 2008, Jayalalitha revived the issue by moving to the Supreme Court seeking a favourable verdict on nullifying the 1974 and 1976 Katchatheevu agreements. A ray of hope that shined for the fishermen community on either side was burned down to ashes with the resolution of the civil war in 2009. The countries strengthened their maritime security and the fishermen who accidently or seeking livelihood crossed the territorial waters illegally were imprisoned and umpteen negotiation talks had to be conducted on their release. Each time, Tamil Nadu brought up the re-acquiring needs of the island. The issue was sentimental and core to sustain their sense of sovereignty and uphold their identity.
In 2014, the Central government reiterated that the Katchatheevu island territorial claim was a “settled issue” and that the fishermen from India are to adhere to the agreement by not fishing in the Sri Lankan waters, while replying to the Madras high court on the PIL. The statement reminded that while fishing is prohibited, the use of the island for resting, net drying and for attending St. Anthony’s festival has been sustained. In the following year, Ranil Wickramasinghe, Sri Lankan prime minister, sparked controversy for his statement in an interview in which he commented that Indian fishermen who crossed waters may be shot.
The aquatic life in the Indian shelf saw a plummet through the years and this would result in the native fishermen, who largely depended on the marine resources sailing beyond territories to catch fish in the Sri Lankan waters. The Sri Lankan government was also concerned about the resources being depleted within their boundaries which had an adverse impact on their coastal livelihood, which added to the tensions amidst the arrests and talks.
Conclusion
In August 2023, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin brought up the issue, addressing a fisherman conference in Ramanathapuram district and asking the Prime Minister to retrieve the islet. Stalin had written a letter to the PM in which he mentioned the impact of the unconsented transfer of Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka and the deprivation of the rights of fishermen. Tamil Nadu views the land as an integral part of its national conscience, and ever since the Sri Lankan civil war, the issue has been a constant agenda in Tamil politics.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his speech in Parliament, had used Katchatheevu to counterattack the opposition on their remarks on Bharat Mata. “Somebody gave it (Katchatheevu) to another country. It happened under the leadership of Indira Gandhi. Wasn’t that a part of Maa Bharati?,” he said.
Attorney General Mukul Rohtagi had said in the Supreme Court during the 2014 appeal, pinpointing the 1974 agreement, “How can it be taken back today? If you want Katchatheevu back, you will have to go to war to get it back.”
The product of a 14th century volcanic eruption, Katchatheevu, serves to be a little more than just a little island. Central to many civil rights violation outbursts and foreign relation straining, the island once only significant to the devotees of St. Anthony is now looked at as an instrument of diplomacy. Though legally a settled matter as per the ‘Indo-Sri Lankan Maritime Agreement,’ it lurks unsettled in the minds of native Indian Tamils. The ritualistic Sri Lankan navy arrests of Indian fishermen is not helping the conflict at any length.
The Katchatheevu issue stands at a complicated juncture as it projects the regional dissatisfaction within the country over an international issue, which has more regional significance than national. The nature of the issue can be a ticking bomb as it affects coastal life and maritime security. The issue was settled without consultation or a platform for opinion, nor was it ever given a space for healthy debate. It is often seen to be reminded to tackle and shut down other issues or as a point projected in election manifestos. It is, thus, an issue of local, regional, national and coastal pre-eminence and should be on the forefront of non-traditional security resolver’s green book.