No ground for India’s new Katchatheevu stance: Lanka Min

COLOMBO: The statements coming out of India on “reclaiming” Katchatheevu island from Sri Lanka have “no ground “, the Sri Lankan Minister of Fisheries Douglas Devananda has said.

The senior Sri Lankan Tamil politician’s comments came days after the Narendra Modi government targeted the Congress party and its ally the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu accusing them of overlooking national interests in the ceding of Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka in 1974.

The BJP has also been targeting the two parties for not ensuring the rights of the fishermen wanting to fish in waters around the Katchatheevu island.

“It is election time in India, not unusual to hear such noises of claims and counter- claims about Katchatheevu,” Devananda told reporters in Jaffna on Thursday.

“I think India is acting on its interests to secure this place to ensure Sri Lankan fishermen would not have any access to that area and that Sri Lanka should not claim any rights in that resourceful area”, Devananda said.

The statements on “reclaiming” Katchatheevu from Sri Lanka’s hold has “no ground”, Devananda has said.

The Sri Lankan minister said according to the 1974 agreement fishermen from both sides could do fishing in the territorial waters of both countries. But it was later reviewed and amended in 1976.

Accordingly, fishermen from both countries were banned from fishing in neighbouring waters, he said.