Echoes of History: Katchatheevu Island

Anindita Roy

(aninditaroy221@gmail.com)

Katchatheevu is an uninhabited island in Sri Lanka. The island has been controlled by British Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) since 1921. Though the Indian government never controlled it, the island remained disputed until 1974 between India and Sri Lanka, when India recognised Sri Lanka’s sovereignty over the island.

When did Katchatheevu become a part of Sri Lanka?

During the year 1974, the then Prime Ministers of India and Sri Lanka, Indira Gandhi and Sirima R.D. Bandaranaike, signed an agreement to demarcate the boundary between the two countries in the historic waters from the Palk Strait to Adam’s Bridge.

A joint statement issued on June 26 and 28, 1974, stated that a boundary had been defined “in conformity with the historical evidence, legal international Katchatheevu. The pact brought the talks to a close. The island has been held between the two sides since October 1921. Initially, the negotiations were held between the governments of Madras and Ceylon.

How important has Katchatheevu been to the fishermen?

Fishermen from the two countries have traditionally used the islet for fishing. Though this feature was acknowledged in the 1974 agreement, the supplemental pact in March 1976 made it clear that fishing vessels and fishermen of the two countries “shall not engage” in fishing in the historic waters, territorial sea, and exclusive zone or exclusive economic zone of either of the countries “without the express permission of Sri Lanka or India.”

When did the issue get a fresh lease of life?

After remaining low for nearly 15 years, the Katchatheevu issue was revived in August 1991, with the then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa demanding retrieval during her Independence Day address. She later modified her demand to one of getting back the islet through “a lease in perpetuity.” The Tamil Nadu Assembly had witnessed a number of debates on the matter. In the last 15 years, both Ms. Jayalalithaa and Mr. Karunanidhi have approached the Supreme Court on the matter.

The India-Sri Lanka agreement of 1976 recognised the Wadge Bank as part of India’s exclusive economic zone, granting India sovereign rights over the area and its resources. The Wadge Bank, located south of Kanyakumari, is a resource-rich submarine plateau. Under the agreement signed on March 23, 1976, Sri Lankan fishing vessels and personnel were not allowed to engage in fishing activities in the Wadge Bank. However, as a gesture of goodwill, India permitted a limited number of Sri Lankan fishing vessels, licensed by India, to fish in the area for a period of three years from the establishment of India’s exclusive economic zone.