Pack 07Live · AarambamTLTE · docs.tlte.cloud

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.

Audience & use

Audience: UK MPs with Tamil and Sri Lankan diaspora constituents · FCDO · Foreign Affairs Committee

Best used for: 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

Remembrance frame

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.

Two-layer reading

Now · Aarambam

Cited Tier-A evidence is open and unresolved. Statements honour memory; evidence remains under-actioned.

Becoming · Nilaiththanmai

Each anniversary produces tabled PQs, FCDO follow-ups, and a tracked answer.

Evidence anchors (Tier-A)

India–Sri Lanka Maritime Agreement 1974

tlte-cite:indo-lk-1974

India–Sri Lanka Supplementary Agreement 1976 (Wadge Bank / Gulf of Mannar)

tlte-cite:indo-lk-1976

Ministry of External Affairs (India) — official briefings on Katchatheevu

tlte-cite:mea-katchatheevu

Northern Province Fisheries Cooperative statements on bottom-trawling damage

tlte-cite:np-fisheries-coop

Adayaalam / PEARL — northern fisher livelihood studies

tlte-cite:adayaalam-fisheries

ICG / Crisis Group — Indo-Lankan relations and fisheries

tlte-cite:icg-indo-lankan

Policy asks

UK MPs

Always 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 MPs

When 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.