MK Stalin asks PM Modi to raise Katchatheevu, fishermen issue with Sri Lankan PM

18-Oct-2025

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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya’s visit, urging him to raise the issue of retrieving Katchatheevu Island and addressing the repeated harassment of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy.

In his letter, Stalin said that since 2021, 1,482 fishermen and 198 fishing boats from Tamil Nadu have been apprehended in 106 separate incidents, causing deep distress and economic loss to the coastal communities.

“The fishing communities of Tamil Nadu continue to face significant hardships due to recurring incidents of harassment, attacks, and apprehensions by the Sri Lankan Navy,” he said.

Reiterating Tamil Nadu’s long-standing demand, the Chief Minister urged Modi to raise the retrieval of Katchatheevu Island, which he said was “historically part of India” but was transferred to Sri Lanka in 1974 without the consent of the state government or due parliamentary process.

“As a result, our fishermen now face restricted access to their traditional fishing grounds and frequent harassment on charges of trespassing,” Stalin wrote, urging the Prime Minister to “initiate dialogues with the visiting Prime Minister of Sri Lanka for the retrieval of Katchatheevu Island and the restoration of traditional fishing rights in the Palk Bay area.”