India and Sri Lanka will soon hold a bilateral virtual meeting to address the recent concerns related to the long-standing Palk Bay fisheries conflict, officials said on Monday.
Following a meeting of the High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, Gopal Baglay, with the Sri Lankan Minister of Foreign Relations, Dinesh Gunawardena, and the Minister of Fisheries, Douglas Devanada, on Monday, the Indian High Commission said in a statement that Mr. Baglay “expressed hope that the next meeting of the bilateral mechanism, on matters pertaining to fishermen, could soon be arranged online”.
In addition to reviewing ongoing bilateral discussions, including on “terrorism, radicalisation, organised crime and drug trafficking” — which were also taken up during National Security Adviser Ajit Doval’s visit to Colombo last month — the High Commissioner stressed the need to continue to deal with matters related to fishermen and their boats, in a humanitarian manner, the official statement said.
The development comes at a time when fishermen in Sri Lanka’s Tamil-majority Northern Province have reported an increase in the number of Indian fishing trawlers spotted along the Sri Lankan coast — a concern that has dominated their post-war recovery period. Bilateral talks between government officials and fishermen leaders have proved futile, as Tamil Nadu fishers’ leaders have not agreed to the demand of the northern Sri Lankan fishers’ leaders to stop engaging in bottom-trawling.
However, following their persistent calls for a solution and several agitations, Sri Lanka, in 2017, banned bottom trawling, known to be a destructive fishing method that virtually scoops out the ocean bed, severely impacting the marine biodiversity. The following year, Colombo slapped stiffer fines on foreign vessels fishing in the island nation’s territorial waters.
While the measures, especially the fines, deterred Indian fishermen to some extent, the Sri Lankan Navy arrested 450 fishermen in 2017, on charges of poaching, but just 156 in 2018. The problem resurfaced earlier this year. Northern Sri Lankan fishermen said they noticed an increase in Indian trawlers in their waters again. According to them, the Sri Lankan Navy appeared reluctant to arrest the Indian fishermen, fearing they could be carriers of COVID-19. Amid growing concerns, Mr. Devananda, who represents Jaffna in the Parliament, has said that he is ready to hold talks with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, to arrive at a solution.
