Colombo's concessions on fishing rights

[TamilNet, Monday, 27 October 2008, 05:30 GMT]
Indian fishermen may get into Sri Lankan waters other than sensitive areas of coastline designated by Sri Lanka government, implied a joint press statement released by the Indian foreign ministry on Sunday. There will be no firing on Indian fishing vessels. Earlier Colombo's position was against Indian fishermen crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line.

The sea dividing India and Sri Lanka historically belongs to the coastal communities of both the countries, who are predominantly Tamils of identical social groups. Even the Sinhala fishermen belong to the same stock and have become Sinhalese only in recent times.

By mutual agreement and understanding coming down through tradition, the economic activities of the waters were jointly controlled by them until divisions effected by national boundaries. Even afterwards it was a common practice among them to navigate and fish up to each other's coastline.

The fisheries of Eezham Tamils suffered heavily ever since the beginning of ethnic crisis in Sri Lanka and are almost curbed today by the Sri Lanka navy.

The fishermen are accused of smuggling arms and supplies to the Tamil struggle in Sri Lanka.

A Colombo newspaper recently published an article how in 1960s itself, in the guise of preventing smuggling and illegal migration, the Sri Lanka government planned a naval cum military encirclement around the Tamil coastline to check the rise of Tamil national struggle.

On the same lines and with the same ethnic animosities and apprehensions, the Colombo government wanted to prevent Tamil Nadu fishermen getting close to Sri Lankan waters. There were several occasions when the Tamil Nadu fishing vessels were fired at by the Sri Lanka navy, inside Indian waters. Nearly 400 Tamil Nadu fishermen have died so far in the navy shooting.

In recent times the Sri Lanka navy was enjoying a tacit understanding with India in restraining the Tamil Nadu fishermen, because of the Indian establishment's fear of fishermen helping the Eezham Tamil cause.

The communiqué of Delhi and Colombo signaling concessions to Tamil Nadu fishermen is a direct response to the current uprising in Tamil Nadu.

The two film directors Seeman and Amir who were arrested on Friday had earlier made a fierce speech at Rameswaram, a major fishing centre of Tamil Nadu, that if India is silent over the killing of 400 Tamil fishermen that is the end of Indian nationalism and the beginning of Tamil nationalism.

Full text of the press statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi, follows:

India-Sri Lanka Joint Statement on Fishing Arrangements 26/10/2008

Keeping in mind the humanitarian and livelihood dimensions of the fishermen issue, India and Sri Lanka have agreed to put in place practical arrangements to deal with bonafide Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL). This was agreed to during the visit to New Delhi on 26th October 2008 of Honourable Basil Rajapaksa, Member of Parliament and Senior Adviser to the President of Sri Lanka.

As part of these practical arrangements, following the designation by the Government of Sri Lanka of sensitive areas along the Sri Lankan coastline and their intimation to the Government of India, Indian fishing vessels will not venture into these identified sensitive areas. Further, there will be no firing on Indian fishing vessels.

It was agreed that Indian fishing vessels would carry valid registration/permit and the fishermen would have on person valid identity cards issued by the Government of Tamil Nadu.

India and Sri Lanka have agreed to continue with their discussions, initiated in 2005, on the proposed Memorandum of Understanding on development and cooperation in the field of fisheries.

New Delhi
26th October, 2008