By Hassan Ali

After a long history of peace, sudden clash was occurred when the island of Katchatheevu handed over to Sri Lanka by Federal Government of India. The Katchatheevu Island was erupted on the surface in the result of volcanic eruption in 14^th century. The numbers of stories mentioned the presence of Muslims on the Island since the inception. Historically this island was owned by the Raja of Ramnad and later became part of the Madras Presidency after the delimitation of Gulf of Mannar and Palk Strait. During British rule governments of Madras and Ceylon ruled the island. In 1921 Sri Lanka claimed the island which was ceded to Sri Lanka in 1970s. The maritime boundary agreements were signed between both the countries in 1974 and 1976.

The island is strategically important for the indigenous people as well as for China and India too. This region is located near the Gujarat, Gawadar as well the strings of route touched the Strait of Malacca from more than 16% of the trade passes. On the other side indigenous people run their business through sea food. Tamil Nadu highly affected in the region because on the both sides India and Sri Lanka habitants-Tamils- are living. Tamil Nadu also passed a resolution in legislative assembly, they demanded immediate steps to be taken by Federal government to take back the control of Katchatheev Island, which was illegal act if India claim back Katchatheev Island.

According to UNO charter every country of the world have right to build the relations with other countries. China and Sri Lanka have enjoyed warm diplomatic ties since Sri Lanka first recognized China in 1950, supporting China’s accession to the United Nations and signing a rubber-rice barter deal in 1952. More recently, China’s global ascent has moved its diplomatic relations with Sri Lanka in a more strategic and commercial direction. Sri Lanka is a model for the latter part of this stratagem. Beijing is Sri Lanka’s biggest source of foreign direct investment as well as providing expansion loans for projects such as new Colombo Port Terminal, Hambantota Port, Sri Lanka’s first four-lane expressway, and a new National Theater. China invested USD around $15 billion into projects in Sri Lanka.

India is concerned that a growing Chinese footprint in Sri Lanka’s counters the interference of India in the Sri Lanka. Although the India several times undermine the sovereignty of Sri Lankan Maritime through sending the illegal fishermen and supporting Tamils insurgents to disrupt the Maritime peace and progress. China managed state-owned enterprise, could become a dual use commercial/military facility. India continuously involving in the internal policies and indulge in border dispute with all of the neighbors, as last year witness the Indian military skirmishes with China in the Himalayas. In an attempt to reassure India, the Sri Lankan Navy has emphasized that it manages port calls made by foreign ships and security at Hambantota Port.

The strategy of India, Sri Lanka to be declared as a Sinhala majority state but the state is Muslim majority which is the largest minority in the Sri Lanka. The India government settled numbers of Tamils in the region they could change the demography and in the result they killed hundreds of Muslims in the region. The claim of church on the island is illegitimate because that was build under the forceful rule of British. It is an integral part of Sri Lanka under the rules of Maritime Law of UNO.

During the last three decades the area becomes a bone of contention among fishermen in Tamil Nadu, Sri Lankan Tamil fishermen and Sri Lankan Navy. Nearly 400 Indian fishermen have been violated the Maritime rules and cross the boundary in result they were killed in firing, and several boats have been destroyed, many fishermen have been injured and detained. Despite number of illegal nationals of India sending by the Indian authorities in the maritime territories of Sri Lanka, as the former Sri Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe stated’

“Why are you coming into our waters? Why are you fishing in our waters...? Stay on the Indian side... There will be no issue... No one will shoot anyone else... You stay on the Indian side; let our fishermen stay on the Sri Lankan side... Otherwise don’t make accusations of Human rights violation by the Navy. You came in there."

The proxies in the name of Katchatheevu Island

Primarily Indian government settled numbers of Tamils in the region and in the result they killed hundreds of Muslims in the region. India is involved on both ends. One side they want to crush Freedom Movement of Tamil Nadu, so they ignored the activities of “Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam”, the LTTE operating from the India Tamil Nadu state .Although Indian nationals are prohibited under the rule of sea law, they started fights against the Sri Lanka and genocide thousands of Muslims and Lankans under the name of “Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam” which was the major militant organization that engaged in a war with the Sri Lankan government from the 1980s to mid-2009. They all were operating from the land of India. Why India does not take action against the group? Because they intentionally supported indirectly, so the group can carry the insurgency in the region, so it is feasible for them to disrupt the region and maritime route and hinder the China to built the port. On the other side they supported Sri Lankan government to crush the Tamil Nadu, with the defeat of Tamil Nadu the freedom struggled were definitely weakened. When Sri Lankan government troops finally defeated Tamil Nadus, now Federal Government is trying to interfering in the internal matters of Sri Lanka and propagating to occupy maritime boundaries of Sri Lanka.

As we know agreements were signed under the international law of maritime but India neglects the rules of Geneva Convention of human rights against its own state. By promoting the trawler fleets by the state governments, still there has also been a considerable lacking from India in terms of ensuring compliance to international laws related to preservation of marine resources. According to reports fishermen and some who pose as fishermen from across the Palk Strait were not only engaged in poaching but also in drug trafficking, thereby turning the Northern region into a hub for drugs and again use the Tamils to halts the progression of commercial activities of China and Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka wants to make a good relation with Tamils and China and India too. But they also believed that the environmental and sovereignty protection often complains that trawlers used by the Indian fishermen also damage the fragile ecosystem of the sea and violating maritime limitations.

Sri Lanka fulfill the litigation which highly violated by the Indian government. In the current scenario India provoking its own people against Sri Lanka and also provoking Sri Lanka to act against the Tamils fishermen’s so they can disrupt the commercial activities in the region. Soon or later India will claim the island and the peace of the region is on the stake. In recent decades we can observe how the Tamils were involve in genocide and the federal government remained silent, which means the government of India have a plan to disestablished the Sri Lanka through the illegal settlements of Tamils and get back the island which mainly concentrated to counter china with the help USA.