Palk Bay Conflict

In news : Recently, four fishermen from Tamil Nadu died in yet another instance of the unresolved fisheries conflict in the Palk Bay

A brief note on the issue

Four fishermen- one of them a Sri Lankan Tamil refugee living in India have died in fisheries conflict
As per fishermen from Tamil Nadu say the four were killed in an attack by the Sri Lankan Navy, the latter maintains that they died when their trawler collided with a naval vessel while trying to avoid being apprehended
India’s response: India has lodged a strong protest with the Sri Lankan authorities, who have set up a committee to find a permanent solution to the incursions by Indian fishermen

Joint Working Group

It was less than a month ago that the two countries resumed discussions through their Joint Working Group on fisheries after a three-year gap.
India sought the early release of fishermen arrested in Sri Lankan waters, as well as the boats in Sri Lankan custody.
Sri Lanka underscored the need to curb the illegal fishing, which adversely affects the livelihood of its war-affected fishermen.
When the two sides decided to create a joint working group some years ago, they had agreed that there would be no violence or loss of life in the handling of the fishermen and that a hotline would be established between the respective Coast Guards.
It is unfortunate that the hotline is yet to be operationalised, and deaths continue to occur.

India’s maritime issue with Srilanka:

Though India has successfully demarcated its maritime boundary with Sri Lanka through 1974 and 1976 agreements, some issues are still there regarding the fishermen and Kachchatheevu island.

Kachchatheevu issue:

As per 1974 Agreement, Kachchatheevu island was given to Sri Lanka and special provisions like pilgrimage rights were included but fishing was not explicitly mentioned.
Indian fishermen have claimed their traditional fishing rights in the region which have been denied by the Sri Lankan authorities.
In 2014, Tamil Nadu Government pleaded in SC to cancel the ceding of the island to Sri Lanka, Indian government clarified that, island was a disputed territory and therefore was given during the boundary settlement process. (In Berubari Union case it has been decided that settling territorial disputes does not require Parliamentary approval.)

Fisherman’s issue:

The Sri Lankan Navy started exercising greater control and vigilance over Palk Strait since Tamil Elam war.
During the process many times they had fired on Indian fishermen who had strayed into Srilankan waters which had infuriated dispute.
Along with this the ease of the restriction on Sri Lankan fisherman, use of high end technology by Indian fishermen has complicated the issue.

About Palk bay

Palk Bay is a semi-enclosed shallow water body with a water depth maximum of 13m. It is located between the southeast coast of India and Sri Lanka