P.R. No. 464 Date:11.09.

2014

Text of the D.O. letter dated 11.9.2014 addressed by
Selvi J Jayalalithaa, Honble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu to
Shri Narendra Modi, Honble Prime Minister of India is reproduced below:
I have written to you on several occasions since you assumed office in
May 2014, on the issue of the harsh harassment meted out to Indian
fishermen from Tamil Nadu by the Sri Lankan Navy when they fish in their
traditional fishing waters of the Palk Bay. After a brief lull, Sri Lanka has
again resorted to intensive aggressive action against Tamil Nadu fishermen
and three further incidents of a large number of fishermen being
apprehended have occurred, since I last wrote to you. 6 boats with 30
fishermen from Rameshwaram who set sail on 10
th
September, 2014, from
Rameshwaram fishing base were apprehended late in the night on 10
th

September, 2014, near Katchatheevu islet and taken to Thalaimannar. In
another incident, one boat from Nagapattinam base with 23 fishermen on
board was apprehended in mid-sea on the night of 10
th
September, 2014,
and they were taken to Jaffna. In a third incident one boat with 4 fishermen
from Thanjavur District was apprehended in the early hours of
11
th
September, 2014, and they were taken to Kankesanthurai.

I have already acknowledged the proactive and positive manner in
which your Government has approached the issue. Your officers have acted
promptly to secure the release of detained fishermen on several occasions in
the recent past.

Despite this, the Sri Lankan sides attitude has hardened and they are
adopting harsher and more devious tactics to cause permanent and long-
standing economic damage to poor and innocent Indian fishermen. In recent
letters I have highlighted some of the disturbing trends that are emerging in
Sri Lankas approach. Even as they have released detained Indian
fishermen, they have not released any of the 64 boats that have been
impounded since 1
st
June, 2014. They have also started a practice of
detaining fishermen and boats that are in distress or engaged in the rescue
of distressed boats.

These trends have to be arrested and reversed to protect the
livelihood of the poor and innocent fishermen from Tamil Nadu who are
engaged in their traditional occupation and fish in their traditional waters.
This is possible only if a firm, clear, unequivocal and unambiguous
message is sent out by the Government of India to the Sri Lankan
side that these hostile acts against Indian fishermen would not be
tolerated and should cease forthwith. Such a message needs to be
2
delivered to those at the highest level on the Sri Lankan side as the
impulse for such a cruel and ruthless strategy against Tamil Nadu
fishermen appears to flow from the very top. This is apparent from
an interview given to an Indian newspaper by the Sri Lankan
President and reported today (11.9.2014) in which he is quoted as
saying that the impounded fishing boats from Tamil Nadu would not
be released.

I also urge you to urgently take up implementation of the longer term
measures to find a permanent solution to the issue. In the Memorandum
that I presented to you on 3
rd
June, 2014, I had outlined some of the
measures required for a permanent solution to the problem.

The first and foremost is addressing the issue of the status of
Katchatheevu. This is clearly central to the problem as the most recent
incident has also occurred close to this islet. I have already indicated to you
that Katchatheevu was always a part of Ramanathapuram District of Tamil
Nadu. Indian fishermen have enjoyed traditional fishing rights in and around
the islet. By the Agreements entered into in 1974 and 1976, Katchatheevu
was unconstitutionally and wrongfully ceded to Sri Lanka and the
fishermen of Tamil Nadu have been obstructed from exercising their
fishing rights in their traditional fishing areas ever since then.

The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly has passed resolutions, right
from 1991, seeking the restoration of Katchatheevu Island and the sea area
adjacent to it to India. I have personally filed a Writ Petition (W.P. (Civil)
No.561/2008) in this regard in the Supreme Court of India in 2008 and the
Government of Tamil Nadu has also impleaded itself in 2011 on the grounds
that the ceding of Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka without a Constitutional
amendment is unlawful and not valid. Hence, I once again strongly urge you
to take active steps to abrogate the 1974 and 1976 agreements and retrieve
Katchatheevu and restore the traditional fishing rights of the fishermen of
Tamil Nadu.

Another set of permanent measures relate to diversifying the fishing
based livelihood of the fishermen in Tamil Nadu. We have already taken
some measures including a 50 per cent subsidy scheme to procure new tuna
long liners which are ocean going vessels. This is a major endeavour and
requires much larger financial and technical support from the Government of
India, which is yet to be agreed to. You would recall that I had already
requested a Comprehensive Special Package for Diversification of Fisheries
at a cost of Rs.1520 crores and a recurring grant of Rs.10 crores per annum
for maintenance dredging as part of the Memorandum presented to you on
3
rd
June, 2014. This Package includes a provision of Rs 975 crores to
3
procure new Deep Sea Tuna Long Liners; assistance for a Mid Sea Fish
Processing Park, at an approximate cost of Rs.80 crores; a grant of
Rs.420 crores for the Creation of Infrastructural facilities for Deep Sea
Fishing in Mookaiyur and Rameswaram Fishing Harbours
in Ramanathapuram District, and Ennore Fishing Harbour in Tiruvallur
District; and an annual grant of Rs.10 crores for dredging of fishing harbours
and bar mouths. In addition, the impractical eligibility criteria of the boat
owners to be in the BPL category and the unrealistic monthly ceiling of
500 litres under the scheme for Reimbursement of Central Excise Duty on
High Speed Diesel (HSD) for Mechanized Boats should be reviewed and
revised. The present annual allocation for the scheme for Motorisation of
Traditional Crafts should be raised from the present level of Rs.3 crores to at
least Rs.9 crores per year so that, in a period of five years, all the remaining
32,000 traditional craft can be motorized. A further subsidy of Rs.100 crores
to convert to gill nets which will enable introduction of sustainable fishing
practices in the Palk Bay should also be provided.

Hence, I strongly urge you to direct the concerned Ministries in the
Government of India to urgently take up all elements of the strategy to
resolve the vexatious fishermen issue with Sri Lanka. Strong, clear and
unambiguous communication to the highest levels of the Sri Lankan
government are needed so that they reverse their harsh and cruel
tactics in dealing with poor Indian fishermen. The Indo-Sri Lankan
Joint Working Groups need to be made a useful mechanism to
address such issues and the stonewalling attitude of the Sri Lankan
side seen in the recent meeting of the Indo-Sri Lankan Joint
Committee on Fisheries held on 29
th
August, 2014, at New Delhi has
to cease. Early action on the permanent solution for the
Katchatheevu problem and long term diversification measures must
be initiated.

I am sure that, given the emphasis you are placing on resolving
issues in the neighbourhood of the country, the plight of Tamil Nadu
fishermen will receive the much needed priority attention that it
deserves and the Government of India will take necessary steps to
ensure the safety and security of our fishermen and secure the
immediate release of the detained 78 fishermen and 72 boats. The
permanent and long-term measures cannot be placed on the back-burner
any longer and must also be actively pursued.
*******

Issued by: Director, Information and Public Relations, Chennai 9.
Date: 11.9.2014