Resolution of the India-Sri Lanka Maritime Border Conflict and Fisheries Dispute
Author | : Rajni Gamage |
Publisher | : |
Total Pages | : 0 |
Release | : 2023 |
ISBN-10 | : OCLC:1402176085 |
ISBN-13 | : |
Rating | : 4/5 (85 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: The 64 kilometres of ocean between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka – the region of the Palk Bay – has been fraught with conflict and violence over the past few decades. These crises arise from the dispute over territorial rights to poach around the island of Kachchatheevu in Palk Bay. The fisheries dispute poses serious economic and environmental ramifications that most affect the local fishing communities on either side of the Palk Bay who rely upon marine resources for their livelihood. The internal politics in India and Sri Lanka have contributed to rising tensions and the lack of resolution. This has deeply affected the bilateral relations between the two states, as seen by the longstanding dispute over the sovereignty of Kachchatheevu. India and Sri Lanka’s implementation of the proposed policy solutions – strict action to ban the use of bottom trawlers, permits for fishermen to poach on both sides of the maritime boundary, restricting fishing to sustainable levels and establishing an authority specifically to manage the Palk Bay maritime concerns and regulations – could assist with reducing the immediate conflict in the area as well as lessening the long-term environmental damage.