Some days ago, a Sri Lankan naval patrol sprayed bullets at a group of Indian fishermen; five days before this, the Sri Lankan navy beat up another group of Indian fishermen. Between February and March this year, the Sri Lankan navy had attacked Indian fishermen in seven separate incidents. This violence constitutes a disturbing trend.Indian Defence Minister A.K. Antony cited a figure of 77 civilian deaths at the hands of the Sri Lankan navy between 1991 and mid-April 2007. The Sri Lankan ministry of defence denies Antony’s figure and has consistently shrugged off any responsibility for the recent attacks although its credibility as an accurate reporter is dubious. There is a reason why the Sri Lankan Defence Ministry is suspicious of Indian fishermen. Since 1983, the LTTE has hired Indian fishermen to smuggle supplies, including military equipment, into Sri Lanka. LTTE operatives are also known to disguise themselves as fishermen for supply runs and attack missions.But such suspicions cannot justify these attacks on regular Indian fishermen. They are inexcusable responses to what are mostly unthreatening territorial incursions. New Delhi, too, cannot absolve itself from it’s responsibility of protecting the lives and livelihoods of Indian fishermen and ensuring that the Sri Lankan navy abides by international norms in this issue.India needs to take up this issue in earnest. First, it must confront the Sri Lankan military’s irresponsibility and high handedness towards Indian citizens. Further attacks of this kind could seriously undermine bilateral relations between India and Sri Lanka. Then there is the political fallout. Tamil Nadu’s politicians are, not surprisingly, concerned about the treatment meted out to the state’s innocent fisherfolk.With Indian fishermen regularly venturing beyond India’s maritime jurisdiction, India has to consider making arrangements for India’s fishermen to get regular access to Sri Lanka’s waters. All-out joint patrolling with the Sri Lankan navy may be the only way out, although it is counter-productive to work closely with a navy that itself poses a significant threat to Indian interests. This must be combined with continued diplomatic pressure on the Sri Lankan government from New Delhi to ensure that there are no further Sri Lankan naval attacks and more stringent mechanisms to enforce territorial boundaries,The root cause of the problem, however, is economic. The dangers Indian fishermen face in fishing in Sri Lankan waters underscore their desperation to sustain their livelihoods. Unsustainable harvesting has left fisheries off India’s southern coast depleted and unprofitable. If lives and livelihoods are to be saved, the Indian government must quickly develop and implement appropriate fishery management projects.
