Katchatheevu
Native name: கச்சத்தீவு | |
---|---|
UTC+5:30 ) |
Katchatheevu (Tamil: கச்சத்தீவு, Tamil pronunciation: [kəttʃət̪t̪iːʋʉ])[a] is an uninhabited island in Sri Lanka. The island was controlled by the British Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) since 1921.[3] 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.[4][5]
The island is located between Neduntheevu, Sri Lanka and Rameswaram, India and has been traditionally used by both Sri Lankan Tamil and Tamil Nadu fishermen.[6][7] In 1974, then Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi accepted Katchatheevu as Sri Lankan area under the Indo-Sri Lankan Maritime agreement aimed at resolving the maritime boundaries in the Palk Strait.[7] Another agreement signed in 1976 restricted both the countries’ fishermen from fishing in the other’s exclusive economic zones.[7]
Earlier, it was owned by the
History
The oldest known name of the island, Kacci (modern Kaccativu), is mentioned in the Rameswaram Inscription of King
The dispute over the island between the Sri Lankan and the Indian colonial governments arose in 1920. While Indian view was that the island was part India because it belonged to a landlord of the Raja of Ramnad, B. Horsburgh opposed this view and cited evidence that Katchatheevu island along with the St. Anthony's Church on the island belonged to Jaffna Diocese. By 1921, both sides then agreed on a border that put the island within the Sri Lankan territory.[3]
Ownership of the island was a dispute between India and Sri Lanka up until 1974 as during the British rule. It was never demarcated by the Indian government.
The main problem continues to grow as more fisherman move into the Sri Lankan sea area for illegal poaching. In 2010 the Sri Lankan government issued a notice to the Tamil Nadu government saying the Indian court cannot nullify the 1974 agreement.[17]
In June 2011 the new Tamil Nadu government led by the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, J. Jayalalithaa, filed a petition in the Supreme Court that the declaration of the 1974 and 1976 agreements between India and Sri Lanka on ceding of Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka were unconstitutional.[18] The court ruled in the Berubari case that the cession of Indian territory to another country had to be ratified by parliament through amendment of the Constitution.
The Indian government in February 2014 stated, "No territory belonging to India was ceded nor sovereignty relinquished since the area was in dispute and had never been demarcated." The government added that the agreements did not require a constitutional amendment because no territory was ceded.[4]
A notion of the Katchatheevu dispute was reopened by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the general elections in India, which are set to start on April 19, 2024. The BJP brought this issue to the forefront as part of its election campaign, particularly targeting the discontent of Indian fishermen affected by the 1976 agreement that barred them from fishing in the waters around the island. Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister, Ali Sabry, has publicly dismissed the notion of reopening discussions about Katchatheevu, stating the issue was resolved 50 years ago.[19]
St. Anthony's Shrine
See also
- Extreme points of Sri Lanka
- India–Sri Lanka maritime boundary agreements
- Palk Strait bridge
- India - Sri Lanka land border
Notes
- ^ Tamil romanization: Kaccattīvu, Sinhala: කච්චතීවු, romanized: Kaccatīvu, Sinhala pronunciation: [kattʃət̪iːʋu]
References
- ^ a b c Sengupta, Arjun (31 March 2024). "Did Congress 'give away' Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka?". The Indian Express. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
- ^ Tamil Nadu (India); Nagarajan, N.; Subramanian, K. (1977). History of Land Revenue Settlement and Abolition of Intermediary Tenures in Tamil Nadu. Government of Tamil Nadu. p. 195.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-003-85912-3. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
- ^ a b c Special Correspondent (2014-02-08). "Kachatheevu was not ceded to Sri Lanka & can't be retrieved – Government Of India". The Hindu. Retrieved 2014-02-18.
- ^ Tamil Nadu (India); Nagarajan, N.; Subramanian, K. (1977). History of Land Revenue Settlement and Abolition of Intermediary Tenures in Tamil Nadu. Government of Tamil Nadu. p. 196.
This was followed up by a meeting of the officials of India and Sri Lanka at Delhi when they decided to adopt the median line as the line of demarcation with a deviation around Katchatheevu including it in Sri Lanka's limits
- ^ ISBN 9780191061196.
- ^ Livemint, 15 Jun 2016.
- ^ ISBN 978-955-91-59-61-2.
- ^ Ranawella, S. (2007). Inscriptions of Ceylon, Volume VI. Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). p. 117-125.
- ^ Manjula, H.A.K.L. (2024-02-10). "Kachchativu Island and Church (Sri Lanka)". Lankapradeepa. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
- ^ De Silva, S. (2008). Sharing Maritime Boundary with India Sri Lankan Experience. Faculty of Defence & Strategic Studies, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University. pp. 3–4, 7–9.
- ^ Mayilvaganan, M. (2019). "'Trouble waters': Maritime issues in Palk Strait, Indian Ocean". Samudera-Journal of Maritime and Coastal Studies. 1 (1): 35–48.
- ^ Muni, S. D. (1974). "Kachchativu settlement: Befriending neighbouring regimes". Economic and Political Weekly: 1119–1122.
- ^ Raju, A. S. (2009). "The (in) security of fishermen in South Asia". Fisheries exploitation in the Indian Ocean: Threats and opportunities. pp. 163–174.
- ^ "The Hindu : 'Cannot return Kachchativu'". Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Gamini Gunaratna, Sri Lanka News Paper by LankaPage.com (LLC)- Latest Hot News from Sri Lanka (2011-04-17). "Sri Lanka : Sri Lankan minister says Indian court cannot nullify accord on Kachchativu Island". Colombopage.com. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
- ^ Special Correspondent (2011-06-10). "Today's Paper News : Resolution passed on Katchatheevu". The Hindu. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
- ^ "Sri Lanka sees no need for talks with India on Katchatheevu island it ceded decades ago". The Indian Express. 2024-04-04. Retrieved 2024-04-04.