Sri Lankan Indian fishermen call for resumption of talks to resolve Palk Strait issues
Leaders of Sri Lanka’s northern fishing community have urged New Delhi and Colombo to help fishermen from either side restart dialogue to find a lasting solution to issues plaguing the Palk Strait region. Annalingam Annarasa, head of an island-wide fishermen’s group, said fisherfolk are ready to engage constructively with their Tamil Nadu counterparts to address enduring problems, as agreed upon in the 2016 agreement between the nations.
The pact had formed a Joint Working Group to end destructive bottom trawling and set up patrolling protocols. Fisher groups from both sides were also to meet biannually for deliberations.
However, Annarasa lamented that the progress made then seems to have been given up. Sri Lankan fishermen continue suffering losses as bottom trawling damages gear and livelihoods, with over 230 Indians arrested in Sri Lanka last year for alleged trespassing.
Fifteen years after the civil war ended, northern fishermen in Sri Lanka are trying to rebuild their lives. At the core of the challenges is a ban appeal on bottom trawling used by some in Tamil Nadu, causing profits there but risking arrests for locals.
Politicians have used the issue for gains without sincerity in solving it, noted fisher leader N. Varnakulasingham, emphasizing talks between fisher groups must restart immediately if the conflict is to end.
Sri Lankan fisher leaders recently contacted the Tamil Nadu CM seeking progressive solutions, worried that the spat could impact historically close ties between the two fishing communities.
