Chennai, July 20 (BPNS)
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, MK Stalin has written a letter to the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi requesting him to raise the issue of retrieval of Katchatheevu island and also the issues faced by the Sri Lankan Tamils in the island nation with the Sri Lankan President, Renil Wickremesinghe’s during his visit to New Delhi on July 21, Friday.
Chief Minister Stalin in his letter to the Prime Minister of India, raised the issue of ceding Katchatheevu islet to the Sri Lanka in 1974 without the consent of the state government. Stalin in the letter contended that this has deprived the fishermen of their rights and adversely affected and impacted their livelihoods.
He also underlined the resolutions adopted in the Tamil Nadu assembly for the retrieval of Katchatheevu. The Chief Minister in the letter said, “ Our fishermen face highly restricted access to traditional fishing grounds, increased harassment and arrests by the Sri Lankan Navy on trespassing charges. Restoring the right to fish in the traditional fishing grounds of Palk Bay has always been among the top priorities of the Government of Tamil Nadu.”
The Chief Minister called upon the Union Government to initiate diplomatic efforts for the retrieval of Katchatheevu islet.
He said that the Tamil Nadu government and the DMK has been in the forefront for upholding the rights and aspirations of Tamils in Sri Lanka since 1956. The Chief Minister in the letter added that it was imperative to protect the social, political, cultural and economic rights of the Tamils in Lanka so that they can lead dignified lives as equal citizens of Lanka.
He said that for equal rights of Tamil’s a meaningful devolution of powers to the provinces that can fulfil the genuine the unresolved aspirations of the Tamils of Lanka.
The Chief Minister also recalled the constant demands of the Tamil Nadu government to the Government of India to decisively use diplomatic channels to secure the immediate release of apprehended Tamil fishermen in Lanka.
He also proposed for regular consultations and meetings of the Joint Working Group between India and Sri Lanka constituted in 2016 for building up trust, facilitate effective communications, and ensuring smooth fishing operations.
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