‘TROUBLED WATERS’: MARITIME ISSUES IN PALK STRAIT, INDIAN OCEAN

Article Sidebar

PDF Full Text
Published: Sep 30, 2019
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22452/samudera.vol1no1.3
Keywords:
Palk Strait India-Sri Lanka relations Kachchativu Indian Ocean

Main Article Content

M. Mayilvaganan
National Institute of Advanced Studies Bangalore, India

Abstract

India had settled maritime boundary issues with all its neighbours including Sri Lanka. In reality, however, India still has issues to be addressed in Palk Strait with Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean. In spite of the existence of two maritime agreements of 1974 and 1976, there are certain irritants between the two neighbours. The main issue is the status of Kachchativu, a small barren island in the Palk Bay area and the fishing around it. The contest for marine resources in and around Kachchativu by Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen has not only  heighten the disagreement between stakeholders but also led to demands to reclaim the island by Indian fishermen and Dravidian political parties in Tamil Nadu. The paper examines the historical debates between two countries on the legal claim of the barren island, its settlement and its implication on India's domestic politics, and the challenges faced at the moment. Particularly, the recurring attack on Indian fishermen in Palk Straits by the Sri Lankan Navy then and now has become a contentious issue between two neighbours, which require comprehensive analysis. Finally, the paper highlights the availability of reasonable options before two countries in strengthening of cooperation and amicable settlement of fishery row.


 


Keywords: Palk Strait, India-Sri Lanka relations, Kachchativu, Indian Ocean

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Article Details

Issue
Vol. 1 No. 1 (2019)
Section
Articles

References

Asian Tribute. (2008, July 16). No hands in the killing of two Indian fishermen - Sri Lanka Navy denies. Retrieved November 11, 2009 from, http://www.asiantribune.com/%E2%80%9Dhttp://www.asiantribune.com/?q=node/12239.
DeSilva-Ranasinghe, S. (2009, October 31). Sri Lanka-The new great game. The Sunday Leader. Retrieved November 12, 2009 from, http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2009/10/31/sri-lanka-%e2%80%94-the-new-great-game/
Government of Tamil Nadu. (2006, September 22). Press Note No.130, D.O. Letter No.16804/FS6/2006. Retrieved November 12, 2009 from, www.tn.gov.in/pressrelease/archives/pr2006/pr220906/pr220906_130.pdf.
Government of Sri Lanka, Ministry of External Affairs. (2008). The maritime boundary between Sri Lanka and India stands settled- Statement by Minister Bogollagama. Retrieved July 7, 2019 from, https://www.mfa.gov.lk/the-maritime-boundary-between-sri-lanka-and-india-stands-settled-minister-bogollagama/
Gupta, C., & Sharma, M. (2004). Deep-rooted trouble. Frontline, 21(1). Retrieved November 12, 2009 from, http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2101/stories/20040116001704200.htm.
Jane’s Intelligence Review (2007, September 1). Feeding the tigers—How Sri Lankan insurgent funds their war. Retrieved July 7, 2019 from, http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2007/08/feeding-tiger-how-sri-lankan-insurgents.html
Orland, B. (2007, September). Indian fishermen catch gunfire maritime dilemmas pestering Indo-Sri Lanka relations. IPCS Issue Brief NO 53. Retrieved July 6, 2019 from,. http://www.ipcs.org/issue_briefs/issue_brief_pdf/74732962IPCS-IssueBrief-No53-Brian.pdf
Pant, H. V. (2010, May 3). China’s naval expansion in the Indian Ocean and India-China rivalry. The Asia-Pacific Journal, 18, 4-10.
Rais, R. B. (1987). The Indian Ocean and the superpowers: Economic, political, and strategic perspectives. United States: Rowman & Littlefield.
Raju, A. S. (2009). The (in) security of fishermen in South Asia. In D. Rumley, S. Chaturvedi & V. Sakhuja, (Eds.), Fisheries exploitation in the Indian Ocean: Threats and opportunities (164). Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
Sambandan, V.S. (2005, July 16-29). Sri Lanka's fears. The Frontline, 22(15). Retrieved November 11, 2009 from, http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2215/stories/20050729002209300.htm.
Sathiyamoorthy, N. (2009, September 30). Sri Lanka: IDPs, fishermen cause for concern in Tamil Nadu. ORF Analysis. Retrieved November 11, 2009 from, http://www.orfonline.com/cms/sites/orfonline/modules/analysis/AnalysisDetail.html?cmaid=17141 mmacmaid=17142.
Sri Lanka Guardian (2008, September 9). LTTE supply arms to Naxals. Retrieved November 11, 2009 from, http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2008/09/ltte-supply-arms-to-naxals.html.
Subramanian, T. S. (2007, March 24-April 6). Straits of tension. Frontline, 24(6). Retrieved November 11, 2009 from, http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2406/stories/20070406002303400.htm.
Subramanian, T.S. (2003, March 29-April 11). Troubled waters. Frontline, 20. Retrieved October 14, 2009 from, http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2007/stories/20030411002904000.htm.
Suryanarayan, V. (1994). Kachchativu and the problems of Indian fishermen in the Palk Bay region. Chennai: TR Publishers.
Suryanarayan, V., & Swaminathan, R. (2009, February 11). Fishing in Palk Bay: contested territory or common heritage? SAAG Paper, no. 3049. Retrieved November 12, 2009 from, http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/%5Cpapers31%5Cpaper3049.html.
The Hindu (May 29, 2001). Cannot return Kachchativu . Retrieved November 11, 2009 from, http://www.hinduonnet.com/2001/05/29/stories/03290006.htm.
Vivekananthan, C. V. (2008, August 24). Kachchativu : A matter of Lanka’s sovereignty. The Nation. Retrieved October 14, 2009 from, http://www.nation.lk/2008/08/24/newsfe9.htm.
Wingerter, R. (1977). The United States, the Soviet Union and the Indian Ocean: The competition for the third world. Bulletin of Concerned Asian Scholars, 9.