The Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (Amendment ) Bill passed by the Sri lankan Parliament last week is being used by Tamil Nadu politicians to create confusion in the minds of fishermen from the State, according to legal and fisheries experts.
Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswamy, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has said that there was widespread resentment and panic among fishermen of Tamil Nadu following the enactment of the legislation by the parliament of the island nation.
“The new legislation with provisions to incarcerate fishermen for long periods of time and impose huge penalties would affect the Indian fishermen from TN,” said Palaniswamy who also urged the Prime Minister to direct the External Affairs Ministry to register its strong protest and ensure that the clauses are not implemented.
But a close study of the Bill passed by the Sri lankan parliament reveals that the island nation is concerned over the depleting aquatic wealth in its side of the international border due to the unlimited bottom trawling by foreign fishing vessels and the Bill was introduced to regulate this exploitation.
The Fisheries Act No 59 of 1979 (the Foreign Fisheries Boat Regulation Act) has been amended to prevent illegal fishing activities in Sri lankan waters and to protect the fisheries and aquatic resources of the coastal belt of Sri lanka. Accordingly a number of sections have been revised in the Act. The fine imposed on foreign fishing vessels that have been seized has been increased under the new amendments.
The objective of the Bill is to check the bottom trawling operations being carried out by fishing vessels from foreign countries along the Sri lanka coast. “Any vessel entering Sri lanka’s coastal waters without licences will be charged a fee proportional to the vessel’s length,” said Shyam Kumar, a lawyer specialising in the International law of the Seas and a visiting faculty at the School of legal Studies, Cochin University of Science and Technology.
M K Stalin, the DMK working president, condemned the BJP-led Government at the Centre for acting as if it has nothing to do with the new amendments. “It is shocking to learn that an amendment had been passed in Sri lankan Parliament last Wednesday to impose a fine on TN fishermen in the Palk Bay ranging from Rs 70 lakh to Rs 7.24 crore. Sri lankan Government has backstabbed India by targeting the Tamil Nadu fishermen,” said Stalin in a statement.
Vaiko, leader of the Tamil chauvinist MDMK, said the new Act was detrimental to the traditional fishing rights of the Tamil Nadu fishermen. “The act has given more powers to the Sri lankan Navy to arrest Tamil Nadu fishermen and seize their fishing trawlers and fishing nets,” said Vaiko.
But Syam Kumar is of the view that India cannot make any protests over the Amendments passed by the Sri lana parliament. “Sri lanka is a sovereign country. Both India and Sri lanka has to respect the International Maritime Boundary line. The island nation has every right to enact laws and legislation to ensure and preserve the marine and aquatic wealth in its territorial waters,” said Syam Kumar. He said the need of the hour was co-operation and cordial ties with Sri lanka.
Jayapalayan, a marine engineer-turned-fishermen activist, said the island nation cannot be blamed over the new Act. “Please do not forget that there are millions of fishermen in Sri lanka also. They will bring in legislation to safeguard the interests of their fishers. Only politicians in Tamil Nadu are making hue and cry over the Act,” said Jayapalayan who is the president of South Indian Fishermen Federation.
