Today'sPaperFEATURESSUNDAYMAGAZINE

Seaofdiscord

TheissueofallegedpoachingbyIndianfishermencontinuestobeabigchallengeforIndiaandSriLanka.MEERASRINIVASANand
WALTERSCOTTgetreactionsfromfishermenonbothsidesofthePalkStrait.

TherecentreleaseoffiveIndianfishermen,sentencedtodeathinSriLankaonchargesofdrugtrafficking,cameasahuge
diplomaticvictoryforIndia,buttheissueofallegedpoachingbyIndianfishermencontinuestobeabigchallenge.
DespiteanotionofTamilbrotherhoodbindingthem,thefishermenoneithersideofthePalkStraitareunabletocometoa
consensus.Stillrecoveringfromtheimpactofabrutalethnicconflict,theTamilspeakingfishermenacrossSriLankas
NorthernProvinceareamongthemostvulnerable.Returningtotheseasafterthethreedecadelongwar,theyfindthat
aggressivebottomtrawlingfromtheIndiansideiswipingoutmarineresourcesanddamagingtheirnets.
Severalroundsoftalkshavebeenheldbetweenfishermenfrombothcountriesandatanofficiallevel,buttheproblem

persists.AttheheartofthePalkBayconflictisanissuepertainingtolivelihoodsofNorthernSriLankanfishermenonthe
oneside,andoftheTamilNadufishermenontheother.
OntheIndianside,thefishermenfromRameswaramneverthoughtthattrawling,whichwasintroducedaspartofa
mechanisationprocessfourdecadesago,wouldbecomeaboneofcontentioninthePalkBay.Thefishermenhavebeenusing
thetrawlersformorethan30years.Theyshouldbegiventimetophaseoutthetrawlers,saysU.Arulanandham,President
oftheAllianceforReleaseofInnocentFishermen(ARIF)whotookpartintworoundsoftalks.
WhilepoliticalpartiesinTamilNadukeepthedebateoverKatchatheevuatinyislandbetweenthecountriesalive,the
possibilityofIndiaretrievingtheislandishighlyunlikelyinthenearfuture,consideringthata1974agreementbetweenthe
countriesofficiallyacknowledgesitasbeingintheSriLankanterritory.ThegovernmentsnowgobytheInternational
MaritimeBoundaryLine(IMBL)thatbothcountriesagreeduponin1976earmarkingterritorialwaters,whichthe
Indianfishermenareaccusedofoftencrossing.
GiventhatNewDelhiseldomtookapublicpositionontheerringTamilNadufishermen,ForeignMinisterSushmaSwarajs
recentmessage,urgingfishermennottocrosstheIMBL,wassignificant.Thisyearalone,asmanyas744Indianfishermen
werecaughtforallegedpoachinginSriLanka,and156trawlerswereseized.