கச்சத்தீவு பிரச்சனை - Katchatheevu.

கச்சத்தீவு பிரச்சனை - Katchatheevu.

நண்பரும் போராசிரியர், திரு.வி. சூரியநாராயணன் அவர்கள் கச்சத்தீவு குறித்து ஆங்கிலத்தில் ஆய்வு நூல்களை எழுதியவர். கச்சத்தீவு விவகாரத்தை நன்கு அறிந்தவர்.

ஆனால் நேற்று (13/07/2017) டைம்ஸ் ஆப் இந்தியா, சென்னை பதிப்பில் கச்சத்தீவு குறித்து சவூத் போல் பத்தியில் அவரின் கருத்துகள் உடன்பாடு அற்றதாக இலங்கைக்கு ஆதரவாகவும் அந்த கருத்துகள் புலப்படுகின்றது. அது ஏன் என்று தெரியவில்லை. அந்த கட்டுரை வருமாறு:

Peace at bay: Indo-Lanka fishing the way forward

The enactment of a new law by Sri Lank a’s parliament last week, banning the destruc tive practice of bot tom trawling in the island nation’s waters, has sent shock waves among the fishing community living on the Indian side of the Palk Bay. The law mandates sentencing violators to two years imprisonment fining them 50,000 Sri Lankan rupees.

The enactment of the new law is a direct response to the need to protect the livelihood of Sri Lankan Tamil fishermen and also the marine ecology in the region. The Indian experience is of great relevance. Trawlers were introduced in the Palk Bay in 1968 to give a fillip to the export of prawns. But its indiscriminate use has resulted in a situation where there is no fish on the Indian side. The Sri Lankan fishermen fear if bottom trawling continues indiscriminately there will be no fish on the Sri Lankan side too.

Unfortu nately, the AIADMK gover nment and the opposition DMK instead of addressing the problem have turned a Nelson’s eye to the reality. On the other hand, they main tain that the travails of Tamil Nadu fishermen are because of the ceding of the island of Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka by the In dia-Sri Lanka Maritime Boundary Agree ment of 1974 and the subsequent bartering of the traditional fishing rights by the 1976 Maritime Bound ary Agreement. Striking a defiant posture, minister for fisheries Jayakumar declared: “We will not accept the legislation passed by the Sri Lankan parliament,“ he added, “Retrieving Katchatheevu is the only solution to the problem.“

The reality is Katchatheevu is no longer relevant, because the Indian fishermen go far deep into Sri Lankan waters; they are often found near the Delft Island and Pesalai in Mannar district. The traditional fishing rights of Indian fishermen are also of no consequence. It should be highlighted that traditional fishing rights consisted only of “fishing in and around Katchatheevu“.

If a just and peaceful solution is not immediately worked out on the question of livelihood of fishermen, India Sri Lanka equation is likely to take a nose dive. What is more, the Centre-state relations in India will also be adversely affected. Another new challenge could arise if the Sri Lankan Tamil fishermen take up arms to protect their livelihood.

The success of diplomacy consists in converting a crisis into an opportunity. If Chennai and New Delhi are determined, they can create a win-win scenario in the Palk Bay. Immediate steps should be taken to decommission trawlers from the Palk Bay through buy back arrangements. Simultaneously concerted efforts should be made to encourage deep sea fishing. Fishermen are attached to the sea, not to the land and it will not be difficult to encourage fishermen from the Palk Bay region to move to areas where deep sea fishing harbours will be located.

With trawlers out of the scene, a tranquil situation will emerge.India and Sri Lanka should project the vision that the Palk Bay is not a contested territory, but a common heritage, which it was till the maritime boundaries were delimited. A Palk Bay Authority (PBA) should be constituted, consisting of marine ecologists, fishermen’s representatives, strategic specialists and representatives from two governments to determine the ideal sustainable catch, what type of equipment can be used, how many days Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen can fish and to embark on joint efforts to enrich the sea.Joint mechanisms should also be established to prevent drug smuggling through the Palk Bay .

As Manmohan Singh stated in a different context, “We cannot do anything with the borders, but we can try to make them irrelevant.“

This rare moment of opportunity is too valuable to miss.

(The author is the founding director and retired senior professor of Centre for South and Southeast Asian Studies, University of Madras)

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கே.எஸ்.இராதாகிருஷ்ணன்

15-07-2017