Katchatheevu & Palk Strait
கச்சத்தீவு · பால்க் நீரிணை
Fisher livelihoods, the 1974 & 1976 treaties, and how the file is mis-framed in current political debate. Pairs with the Maritime Desk.
- · UK MPs with Tamil and Sri Lankan diaspora constituents
- · FCDO
- · Foreign Affairs Committee
- · Cross-Strait fisher livelihood letters
- · Trade & humanitarian PQs on bottom-trawling and arrest practice
- · Engagement with the Indian High Commission and Sri Lankan High Commission
- · Briefings to constituents who hear only one side of the file
Katchatheevu is not a sovereignty grievance for TLTE. It is a fisher livelihood file — and both Tamil Nadu fishers and northern Sri Lankan Tamil fishers carry the cost of how it is currently managed.
Cited Tier-A evidence is open and unresolved. UK is a co-sponsor of UN HRC accountability resolutions but implementation is uneven. Statements honour memory; evidence remains under-actioned.
Statements are backed by structured packs. Each anniversary produces tabled PQs, FCDO follow-ups, and a tracked answer. Memory becomes evidence; evidence becomes policy; policy becomes repair.
Evidence anchors
Each anchor carries a stable E-id for citation in correspondence, PQs, and parliamentary submissions.
- E.katchatheevu-palk-strait.001India–Sri Lanka Maritime Agreement 1974
- E.katchatheevu-palk-strait.002India–Sri Lanka Supplementary Agreement 1976 (Wadge Bank / Gulf of Mannar)
- E.katchatheevu-palk-strait.003Ministry of External Affairs (India) — official briefings on Katchatheevu
- E.katchatheevu-palk-strait.004Northern Province Fisheries Cooperative statements on bottom-trawling damage
- E.katchatheevu-palk-strait.005Adayaalam / PEARL — northern fisher livelihood studies
- E.katchatheevu-palk-strait.006ICG / Crisis Group — Indo-Lankan relations and fisheries
Policy asks
- UK MPsAlways cite BOTH the 1974 and 1976 treaties when speaking on Katchatheevu — they are inseparable in law.
- UK Government (FCDO)Encourage bilateral India–Sri Lanka dialogue on sustainable fisheries and arrest practice, with northern Sri Lankan Tamil fisher representation at the table.
- UK MPsWhen citing Tamil Nadu fisher arrest figures, pair them with northern Sri Lankan Tamil livelihood evidence — never one without the other.
Sample Parliamentary Questions
- written→ FCDO
What discussions has the Government had with India and Sri Lanka on sustainable fisheries management in the Palk Strait?
- written→ FCDO
What representations has the Government made on the welfare of fishers arrested by either India or Sri Lanka in the Palk Strait?
- written→ FCDO
What assessment has the Government made of the impact of bottom-trawling on northern Sri Lankan Tamil fisher livelihoods?
Pack-specific safety rules
- · Never claim that TLTE seeks Katchatheevu's return to India. TLTE takes no sovereignty position on the island.
- · Never aggregate fisher arrest counts. Cite Tamil Nadu and northern Sri Lankan figures separately, with sources.
- · Always cite both the 1974 and 1976 agreements — citing only 1974 is the most common political distortion of this file.
- · Always pair Tamil Nadu fisher harm with northern Sri Lankan Tamil fisher harm. The two sides are not opponents.
TLTE is not a registered consultant lobbyist. This pack is a public-interest civic document. We do not coordinate statements with MPs and we receive no payment from any government.