New Delhi: Amidst the raging controversy over allegations of the Sri Lankan Navy’s excesses on Indian fishermen, Indian Navy Ship (INS) Kuthar docked at Colombo in Sri Lanka on Tuesday. The INS Kuthar is a Khukri class corvette under the Eastern Naval Command, based at Visakhapatnam.
This operational-cum-goodwill visit comes at a time when several fishermen’s organisations are protesting in Tamil Nadu against alleged high-handedness by the Sri Lankan Navy. According to them, 32 Indian fishermen are presently in Sri Lankan custody. The authorities of the island nation, barely a few hundred nautical miles off the southern tip of India.
On Monday, Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin met some of the protesting fishermen and announced enhanced compensation for boats allegedly smashed during altercations with the Sri Lankan Navy. He also raised the daily allowance for families of Indian fishermen, currently under custody in Sri Lanka, from Rs 350 to Rs 500. Stalin also said that a delegation of MPs from Tamil Nadu will meet Indian external affairs minister S Jaishankar soon, demanding a permanent solution to the crisis, after talks with Sri Lanka.
The Sri Lankan Navy, on its part, has maintained that it has no aggressive intent in mind, but simply does what is required to curb poaching and safeguard the interests of the country’s fishermen. All Indian fishermen in their custody were apprehended while fishing in Sri Lankan waters, naval officers of the neighbouring country said.
The Indian government has more important issues to address than a tiff between fishermen and enforcement agencies of a foreign country though. Warships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) have practically turned the Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka into a full time base. China paid for development of this advanced port facility along the southern coast or Sri Lanka. After Sri Lanka failed to pay back the loan, PLAN took control of a large portion of the port, turning it into a logistics base. Apart from regular warships, PLAN research vessels have regularly berthed at the port, particularly around the time when India carried out ballistic missile tests along the Odisha coast.
“Towards strengthening maritime ties, INS Kuthar reached Colombo. Commander Nitin Sharma, the commanding officer of the ship, called on Rear Admiral MHCJ Silva, Commander, Western Naval Area, Sri Lanka Navy. As part of the visit, personnel from both navies will engage in professional interactions, knowledge-sharing sessions, and joint activities to enhance operational synergy between the two Forces,” a Ministry of Defence official said.
According to him, the visit underscores the longstanding partnership between the two nations, furthering cooperation under the Government of India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ and ‘Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR)’ initiatives.
