India-Sri Lanka ties netted in fishermen poaching issue

By Uditha Jayasinghe-Dec 16,2 1! "#L#$B#, Dec% 16 &'inhua( -- )ension *et+een Sri Lanka and India has spira,ed as *oth sides arrest fishermen crossing into each other-s maritime *oundaries +ith arrests increasing to hundreds on *oth sides and triggering ca,,s for dip,omatic inter.ention% Just ,ast +eek the Sri Lankan /a.y arrested 10 fishermen and 2! *oats +ithin 1ust t+o days% India, not to *e outdone, arrested 23 Sri Lankan fishermen in 1ust 1! days in Decem*er and +ith num*ers increasing dai,y% Deeper tensions *et+een "o,om*o and South Indian state )ami, /adu seem ine.ita*,e% )ami, /adu and the Sri Lankan go.ernment ha.e traditiona,,y had strained re,ations as the Indian State, home to the ,argest num*er of )ami,s, has for decades empathi4ed +ith their Sri Lankan counterparts and their strugg,e for e5ua, po,itica, rights in Sri Lanka% 6ith the ne+ rise in fishermen arrests this a,ready tenuous re,ationship has *een further strained +ith )ami, /adu po,iticians accusing the Sri Lankan go.ernment of turning the narro+ strip of sea di.iding the t+o countries into 7an open air prison%7 )ami, /adu "hief $inister Jaya,a,ithaa Jeyaram is one of the most .ociferous critics of "o,om*o-s human rights record and ,ast +eek sent a ,etter accusing Indian 8rime $inister $anmohan Singh of *eing too soft on the fishermen issue +ith Sri Lanka-s go.ernment% 9.en though discussions *et+een the t+o parties ha.e *een mooted for ne:t year, they are yet to get ,ocked do+n, +ith fishermen getting caught in the midd,e% Just days after the 10 Indian fishermen +ere arrested, "o,om*o hit *ack *,aming "hief $inister Jaya,a,ithaa Jeyaram for keeping Sri Lankan fishermen 7hostage7 in order to achie.e her po,itica, goa,s% Deputy $inister of ;isheries Sarath <umara =unarathne said that *y arresting Sri Lankan fishermen and ho,ding them in )ami, /adu, Jaya,a,itha is attempting to +in the support of Indian fishing communities% Speaking in 8ar,iament, the deputy minister c,aimed that the )ami, /adu chief minister is demanding that Indian fishermen *e a,,o+ed to poach in Sri Lankan +aters

using ,arge sca,e fishing gear% )he deputy minister said that the methods used *y Indian tra+,ers to catch fish is damaging marine ,ife in Sri Lankan +aters +hen they cross the internationa, maritime *oundary% >e urged the )ami, /ationa, ?,,iance &)/?(, +hich is Sri Lanka- s main )ami, party, to raise the issue +ith Jaya,a,ithaa as it is affecting the ,i.e,ihood of fishermen in the /orth that is go.erned *y the )/?% =unarathne a,so pointed out that attempts are *eing made to scutt,e ties *et+een Sri Lanka and India *y using the fishermen issue% >o+e.er he said 8resident $ahinda @a1apaksa is keen to ensure ties +ith India and interaction +ith the Indian centra, go.ernment remain strong% @a1apaksa himse,f ear,ier this month appea,ed to India-s /a.y "hief D%<% Joshi to end the dead,ock *et+een the t+o countries *ut ,itt,e progress has *een made% Indian fishermen ha.e a,so a,,eged that the Sri Lankan na.y has attacked them, an accusation that is .ehement,y denied *y the na.y% ?ccording to ;isheries and ?5uatic @esources $inister @a1itha Senaratne, the industry ,oses an estimated A3%2 mi,,ion U%S% do,,ars-+orth of fish from i,,ega, poaching from South India% )he go.ernment has targeted B mi,,ion U%S% do,,ars in re.enue for 2 1!, *ut has had to keep its e:pectation ,o+ due to the significant ,osses from poaching% Sri Lankan studies estimate that an a.erage of 1, B6 Indian *oats cross into Sri Lankan +aters i,,ega,,y, +hich means 12%A2 mi,,ion U%S% do,,ars is ,ost from their shrimp catch a,one% In tota, Indian fishermen poach at ,east 6B mi,,ion ki,ograms of fish each year% Sate,,ite images suggest that the poaching is done in a high,y-organi4ed manner as the *u,k of the *oats operate in the night and scram*,e across the internationa, maritime *oundary ,ine *y four in the morning% "o,om*o has pre.ious,y defended its soft-pedd,ing of the issue *y pointing out that if reports are made to internationa, *odies, most of South India-s fishing industry +i,, *e shut do+n and this cou,d not *e a,,o+ed *ecause of the c,ose re,ationship en1oyed *y the t+o countries% ?s many as 0 fish processing p,ants su*sist on this catch and hints ha.e *een made *y the minister that strong po,itica, *acking is gi.en *y the )ami, /adu go.ernment% Sri Lankan officia,s ha.e comp,ained that internationa, *odies such as the 9uropean Union &9U(, +hich is a key market for *oth India and Sri Lanka, ha.e done nothing to stop the poaching%

>o+e.er, 9U spokesperson #,i.er Dre+es to,d ,oca, media that the 9U is not empo+ered to address disputes in.o,.ing one country +ith its neigh*oring countries% 7It is up to the re,e.ant states to dea, +ith *i,atera, disputes on fisheries in ,ine +ith the pro.isions of internationa, ,a+,7 he said% 7)here are no dou*,e standards in the app,ication of the I,,ega,, Unreported and Unregu,ated &IUU( @egu,ation +hich is *ased on non-discrimination%7 Dre+es said Sri Lanka had, ho+e.er, not yet ,odged an officia, comp,aint +ith the 9U on the Indian poaching issue% 7I,,ega, fishing threatens the ,i.e,ihood of honest fishermen and it puts at risk the fish supp,y for the future% ?t the same time it threatens the en.ironment and the ,i.e,ihood of coasta, communities,7 the 9U spokesman said% )he skyrocketing num*er of arrests on *oth sides demand some form of dip,omatic engagement to take p,ace, say ana,ysts 8re.ious,y *oth countries agreed that the +ay for+ard shou,d *e amica*,e and put in p,ace 1oint committee +ith top officia,s from *oth countries to interact *et+een the stakeho,ders *ut this has gone si,ent, +hi,e a,,egations and arrests ha.e mounted% @e,ations *et+een )ami, /adu and "o,om*o ha.e *ecome e.en frostier if that is possi*,e, in the aftermath of the "ommon+ea,th >eads of =o.ernment $eeting &">#=$(, for it is genera,,y *e,ie.ed that Indian 8rime $inister $anmohan Singh *oycotted the e.ent due to pressure from )ami, /adu po,iticians% In such a su*-4ero en.ironment, dea,ing +ith fishing issues has *ecome e.en more cha,,enging, ana,ysts *e,ie.e, *ut it is e.ident that something must *e done fast% @e,atedC /e+ Indian ;$ arri.es in Sri Lanka for ta,ks "#L#$B#, #ct% A &'inhua( -- /e+,y appointed Indian 9:terna, ?ffairs $inister Sa,man <hurshid arri.ed in Sri Lanka on $onday for crucia, *i,atera, ta,ks that are e:pected to center on po+er de.o,ution, i,,ega, fishing and starting a coa, po+er p,ant .enture, an officia, said here% ;u,, story Sri Lankan na.y arrests 02 Indian fishermen "#L#$B#, June 6 &'inhua( -- )he Sri Lankan na.y arrested 02 Indian fishermen on )hursday +hen they entered Sri Lankan +aters i,,ega,,y%;u,, story