A political whirlpool in Palk Strait

local Tamil leaders and  Tamil armed groups turned a blind eye to the plunder of their marine resources by  fishermen from the other side of  Palk Strait

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to raise the concerns of Indian fishermen with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya during her three-day visit to India. Stalin highlighted repeated incidents of alleged harassment of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy, according to Indian media.
This might have been an attempt by Stalin to earn brownie points from his electorate as Indian fishermen’s trespassing into the Sri Lankan waters has been a regular issue during each high-level meeting between Indian and Sri Lankan leaders during the past decade or so. 
 Modi, following his meeting with Amarasuriya on Friday, stated in an X post saying, discussions with Ms. Amarasuriya. “Covered a broad range of areas, including education, women’s empowerment, innovation, development cooperation and welfare of our fishermen.”
Going by the attitude of Indian leaders in the recent past towards this thorny issue involving the marine resources  between the two countries, it is up to the Indian Prime Minister to explain whether it was the Indian fishermen or the fishermen of both countries that he meant by saying “our fishermen.”
Yet, judging by the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s letter which portrays the Indian fishermen as being at the receiving end, he was referring to the Indian fishermen. Stalin says: “This visit (of Sri Lanka’s premier) presents a valuable opportunity to address the persistent challenges faced by Indian fishermen in the traditional fishing waters of the Palk Bay … the fishermen of Tamil Nadu have traditionally fished in the waters surrounding Katchatheevu Island, which was historically part of India.”
However, during her address on Saturday at a civic reception hosted by the India Foundation, a New Delhi-based Think tank, Dr. Amarasuriya explained in one sentence what the real issue at hand is. “Issues such as the Indian fishermen fishing in Sri Lankan waters and engaging in harmful practices like bottom trawling is of deep concern to the fishermen in northern Sri Lanka who are regaining their livelihoods after years of conflict,” Amarasuriya said. 
This issue has a long history. Local newspapers published as far back as 1960 have carried stories of Indian fishermen trespassing into Sri Lankan waters and Indian officials warning them of repercussions. However, with the breaking out of armed conflict between the Sri Lankan security forces and the Tamil armed groups, the situation turned to be more advantageous to the Indian fishermen. 
Sri Lankan navy then had imposed time and distance restrictions to the local fishermen, paving the way for the Indian fishermen to have a field day in  Sri Lankan waters. Since  Tamil Nadu politicians expressed their moral support to the separatist struggle in Sri Lanka, local Tamil leaders and  Tamil armed groups turned a blind eye to the plunder of their marine resources by  fishermen from the other side of the Palk Strait. Besides, the invasion of Indian boats into the Sri Lankan waters served as a blessing in disguise for the armed groups to transport war materials from India to Sri Lanka and wounded cadres from Sri Lanka to India, by mingling their boats with the swarms of boats belonging to the Indian fishermen.
It was after the end of the war that this fishermen issue became a political irritant between the two countries, ritualistically featuring in every visit by Indian leaders to Sri Lanka and vice versa, without any follow-up action. Local Tamil leaders also woke up to a new reality. On the other hand, Indian boats unabatedly trespass into the Sri Lankan waters. Some of them get caught, prompting  Tamil Nadu leaders to make a fuss. Stalin in his letter says that he had raised this matter with the Indian PM on eleven occasions and made seventy-two representations to the External Affairs Minister. Thus, the arrested fishermen later get released with the Indian government’s soft power pressure, and reappear in the same seas within weeks.
The simple reality is that Sri Lanka does not want to antagonise India, the regional giant, in this regard,  and the Indian Central Government on its part does not want to antagonise an important southern segment of its electorate.Similarly, it cannot reject  Sri Lanka’s concerns either. Thus, the issue will possibly drag on, despite Dr. Amarasuriya having stated: “This is a matter that requires sensitive handling and sustainable solutions.”

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