No military presence in Katchchativu, Lanka assures India

T V Sriram

Colombo, June 20 (PTI) Terming it as a move to strain
relations between Colombo and New Delhi, Sri Lanka on Saturday
said it has no plans to have military presence in Katchchativu
island, which was ceded by India in 1974.

"The Government of Sri Lanka categorically states that
there are no such intentions of constructing a watch tower or
have a military presence on the Katchchativu Island," a
Foreign Ministry statement said here.

The statement came in the wake of the recent media
reports alleging that the Sri Lankan government was intending
to construct a watch tower and a military base on the island.
The report had also claimed that the Lankan Navy was harassing
Tamil Nadu fishermen.

Sri Lanka Navy, after conducting investigations, has also
categorically denied allegations that Tamil Nadu fishermen
were being harassed by its personnel, the statement said.

"It is likely that these malicious allegations have been
orchestrated by parties with vested interests in order to
strain the long standing and warm relations between Sri Lanka
and India," the foreign ministry said.

Kachchativu, a 275-acre uninhabited island, is situated
on the Palk Strait along the border of India and Sri Lanka.

According to an agreement signed in June, 1974, Indian
fishermen and pilgrims are allowed to visit Kachchativu and
will not be required to obtain travel documents or visas from
Sri Lankan authorities.

Though the Indian fishermen can go to Katchchativu to dry
their nets, they are forbidden to fish, the agreement says.

On January 5 this year, the Indian Supreme Court issued
notice to the Centre on a petition by former Tamil Nadu Chief
Minister J Jayalalitha that sought declaration as null and
void on India ceding Kachchativu to Sri Lanka in 1974 without
Parliament's approval.

The ceding had resulted in Indian fishermen getting
killed or injured at the hands of Sri Lankan Navy personnel at
the Palk Bay, she said.

"If Sri Lanka could unilaterally revoke an international
treaty like the India-Sri Lanka agreement with impunity, why
can't India retrieve the ceded islet and save the lives and
livelihood of Tamil Nadu fishermen who are being wantonly shot
dead or wounded by the Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly entering
into their ill-defined territorial waters while fishing in the
narrow Palk Bay," the petitioner had asked.

The matter came up for discussion in the Sri Lankan
Parliament a few weeks ago when the Marxist JVP MP Bimal
Ratnayake sought clarification from the government.

After Chief Government Whip Dinesh Gunawardena said the
island had not been occupied by any civilian, Ratnayake
stressed the need to put up some permanent structures in this
island.

The JVP MP said the international court of law considered
such matters when delivering judgements on the ownership of
disputed islands where no civilian settlement was found.

"In Kachchativu, there is only one church belonging to a
certain religious sect. We request the government to establish
some structures in the island at least for the use of the
Navy. It should be done to convince the world that we use it
for some purpose," he said.

Gunawardena who is also the Minister of Sacred Area
Development, in his reply, said the government intended to
develop the island as a sacred area. PTI TVS
SKT
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