Sri Lanka summons Indian diplomat over death of marine

A senior Foreign Ministry official handed over a formal note to the Indian diplomat on the issue of ongoing illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, particularly bottom trawling, and “indiscriminate poaching by Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan waters,” according to a news report by the Colombo-based Sunday News Newspaper.

Read also: Net losses: On the fishing dispute between India and Sri Lanka

An official source said The Hindu that the Indian official was summoned to the ministry on Friday.

“It was primarily about expressing the concerns of the Sri Lankan side,” said the source, who wished to remain anonymous.

The issue was also reportedly raised in New Delhi when Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India Kshenuka Senewiratne called on External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on June 25.

In the early hours of the same day, a Sri Lanka Navy sailor was killed in an operation targeting Indian fishermen and their fishing vessel off Kankesanthurai in the Jaffna peninsula in the island nation’s Northern Province. However, none of the officials mentioned this in their updates on the social media platform ‘X’ shortly after the meeting.

In a media statement last week, the Sri Lankan Navy attributed the fatal incident at sea to “aggressive maneuvers by an Indian trawler” that “resisted arrest” by the patrol unit.

Ten Indian fishermen, seven from Nagapattinam, one from Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu and two others from Andhra Pradesh, were arrested for illegal fishing and their fishing vessel was confiscated.

Long-lasting conflict

This development has brought the long-simmering fishing conflict in the Palk Strait back into the spotlight. Despite the relentless demands of fishermen from Sri Lanka’s north that their Indian counterparts stop destructive bottom trawling, Indian fishermen have continued the practice for years.

Also read:The Palk Bay fishing conflict: A story of competing livelihoods and reduced catches

Meanwhile, fishermen in northern Sri Lanka are accusing the Sri Lankan and Indian governments of failing to find a lasting solution to the ongoing problem that has put severe pressure on their livelihoods.

They also call for the resumption of talks between representatives of the fishing organisations on both sides.

“Both governments have a responsibility to implement the agreement reached by both sides at a meeting of their foreign ministers in Delhi in 2016. They agreed to end the practice of bottom trawling as soon as possible. Instead of taking these efforts forward, some stakeholders are trying to politicise the issue,” said Annalingam Annarasa, head of a Jaffna-based fishing cooperative.

Also read: Also read: It is crucial to resume talks with Tamil Nadu counterparts, say leaders of northern Sri Lanka’s fishing community

Following the bilateral meeting and agreement in 2016, India and Sri Lanka formed a joint working group to address the issue of Indian fishermen being frequently arrested for illegal fishing in Sri Lanka’s territorial waters. The group last met in 2022.