Days following Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's revival of a decades-old dispute surrounding Katchatheevu island, Sri Lanka has responded stating it has no intention to entertain further discussions on the matter.
In a recent statement to a local television network, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Ali Sabry emphasised that Sri Lanka sees no grounds for reopening talks on Katchatheevu, an island ceded to Sri Lanka by India half a century ago. "This is a matter that was discussed and resolved 50 years ago, and there is no need for further deliberations on this issue," he remarked. This assertion marks the first official response from Sri Lanka since the release of documents pertaining to the island's transfer entered the public domain.
A former Sri Lankan envoy to India Austin Fernando said the BJP may have invoked a “vote-puller” but it would be difficult for the Indian government to step back after the elections.
Fernando speaking to The Indian Express said if the Indian government crosses the Sri Lankan maritime international boundary line, it would be seen as a “violation of Sri Lankan sovereignty”, as he recalled Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa’s statements on the Indian Peacekeeping Force in late 1980s.
“If Pakistan proposes such sea encroachment near Goa will India tolerate it? Or if Bangladesh does something like this in the Bay of Bengal, what will be India’s response?,” said Fernando, who was Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India between 2018 and 2020. “BJP does not have much of a hold in Tamil Nadu comparatively, so it has sparked off a vote-puller.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reignited the row around Katchatheevu island, after he labelled the release of documents on the 1974 decision to hand the territory to Sri Lanka “eye opening and startling!”.
“New facts reveal how Congress callously gave away Katchatheevu,” tweeted the Indian Premier. “This has angered every Indian and reaffirmed in people’s minds- we can’t ever trust Congress!”
