'Sri Lankan Tamil' fishermen deprived of their own rights

HeinzGud

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2011
Messages
2,558
Likes
1,070
Country flag
"They are asking me weather 'Jaffna Tamils' have been resettled and whether their living conditions are good or bad and whether we are helping them. So why not help the fishermen?" Excerpts of President Mahinda Rajapaksa's interview to NDTV's Maya Mirchandani, while in Addu City in the Maldives to attend SAARC summit:


Mahinda Rajapakse: I explained to your PM (Prime Minister) about the fishermen issue. For the last one year, we have fought more than 40000 boats that have come to Lanka shores and fishing in Lanka. So it's a problem for us but we have never taken them into custody because of the PM's request. We allow them. Earlier navy was handling it, but now we have said even the navy has been stopped from doing so. Now we allow them.

NDTV: Because this is a huge political issue in India.


Mahinda Rajapakse:
Yes, because they are asking me weather 'Jaffna Tamils' have been resettled and whether their living conditions are good or bad and whether we are helping them. So why not help the fishermen? They are deprived of their own rights. So this is an unfortunate thing. So they must understand that too.


NDTV:
So you are saying this for Sri Lankan Tamil fishermen to fish in?


Mahinda Rajapakse:
No, we are saying give and take policy. So we are discussing it. Then I said the best thing is to meet the Tamil fishermen. Get the Tamil fishermen from Sri Lanka and the Indian side and they can discuss and settle this problem. I don't want the government to come in.


NDTV:
Sir, what about the reconciliation process. Things are moving very slowly?


Mahinda Rajapakse:
No, it's moving very fast for the last two years we have resettled about 95 per cent.


NDTV:
I am talking about political reconciliation.


Mahinda Rajapakse:
Politically we have already started dialogue with the TNA. For the last 1.5 months they have been busy, traveling to USA, UK etc and canvassing themselves. I don't know what they are canvassing for because these are internal matters they must discuss with us, the Lankan government, because finally it's the government that matters, because we have appointed the committee and they have not sent the names yet. We have 23 political parties in Parliament. So we want to appoint a Parliament select committee. The best place to settle this. Let the government and opposition get together and give me a solution. Then certainly.


NDTV:
Since the war ended in 2009 there have been many allegations of human rights violations.


Mahinda Rajapakse:
Have you seen the response?


NDTV:
Yes we have. But the lessons learnt and reconciliation commission is meant to give you its report any time now. Will you make it public?


Mahinda Rajapakse:
Yes on the 19th. But I will have to get it, study it. It's not a public document. To make it (public) I want to table it in Parliament. Then only it becomes a public document.


NDTV:
Are you afraid it might endorse some of those charges of human rights violations?


Mahinda Rajapakse:
If they endorse it, we will have to take action. I am not going to shield anyone. I don't want to shield anyone.


NDTV:
So it's a long process?


Mahinda Rajapakse:
Yes, everyone talks of the last 10 days, but last 30 years no one talks. How many people have died? How many Tamil political leaders have died? Even your PM (Prime Minister) was killed. So these things cannot be just "¦ you know. courtesy: NDTV
 

HeinzGud

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2011
Messages
2,558
Likes
1,070
Country flag
Surprising.................... no one even bother to reply!!!!!
 

KS

Bye bye DFI
Senior Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2010
Messages
8,005
Likes
5,758
What is there to reply ?!?

It's after all Mahinda 'Rakshasha' speaking !
 

p2prada

Senior Member
Joined
May 25, 2009
Messages
10,234
Likes
4,015
We are back to square one. Let diplomacy do it's work from now on.

I wonder how long will the report take to be made public. There is a chance it can be leaked, maybe snippets of it.
 

Ray

The Chairman
Professional
Joined
Apr 17, 2009
Messages
43,132
Likes
23,834
Rajapkse is a congenital liar.
 

Virendra

Ambassador
Joined
Oct 16, 2010
Messages
4,697
Likes
3,041
Country flag
Surprising.................... no one even bother to reply!!!!!
I'm sorry, was there a question somewhere? I thought it was a routine interview by a very routine corporate media house of India. There wasn't much new found and so no new comments at the forum. It does and can always happen to any of the threads because there is no hidden agenda/pattern at this forum. It is free flowing and people respond per their interest and knowledge.

By the way many of us don't have a lot of background on Indian-Tamil / SL Tamil / Sinhalese issue and so we choose not to poke our noses where ought not to. We just read and move on.
Those who have the background, they've repeated themselves many times over. Like others have told you already, even I'm not sure what you're trying to convey or have us say. Please be specific, if you want to start a discussion over that interview and which point exactly.

Regards,
Virendra
 

HeinzGud

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2011
Messages
2,558
Likes
1,070
Country flag
Grt...................... Look at the "why not help the fisherman" line, the fisherman which Mr. Rajapaksha is referring to are not Sinhalese but Tamil. They neither TN fishermen couldn't fish in those waters for decades due to the war. Therefore the particular fishing ground has become a gold mine mostly thanks to the over grown fish! However our own fishermen now have to compete with a full armada of modern trawlers poaching our waters and catching larger number of fish with only decades old boats and techniques.

By K.T.Rajasingham
Chennai, 17 November, (Asiantribune.com): Kindly answer our questions!!!

Questions have been posed to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J.Jayalalithaa

Whether she has read, heard or ever seen any report either from the Indian Navy or Indian Coastguard complaining Sri Lankan Navy has ever crossed into the International Maritime Boundary Line and entered into the Indian waters and attacked the Tamil Nadu fishermen?


Whether she has seen any photographs or radar images showing Sri Lankan Navy attacking the Tamil Nadu fishermen?

Clarify whether she is aware that Katchativu islet is located well within the Sri Lanka IMBL?

Why she has not considered seriously the denial of the Sri Lankan Navy that they have never attacked any Tamil Nadu fishermen and only treated them humanely whenever they were in distress?


Whether she is prepared to pay compensation to the Sri Lankan Government the loss it sustained daily at the rate of SLR 5 billion due to Tamil Nadu fishermen poaching in the Sri Lankan waters?


Recently Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has written a letter to Indian Prime Minister and it has been quoted that the Centre should assert itself with the Sri Lankan Government to control the "rogue elements in the Sri Lankan Navy" who continue to indulge in acts of physical assault on innocent fishermen from Tamil Nadu."
This was the most undiplomatic comment ever to be made by a Chief Minister of a state characterizing a friendly neighboring country's 'Navy personnel".

She further alleged that on November 15 when a fisherman of Rameswaram was seriously injured when Indian fishing boats were attacked, allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy personnel, near the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) off Kachchatheevu, she said it has been reported that as many as 15 Sri Lankan Navy men came in a high-speed patrolling vessel and threw stones on the fishermen. This resulted in a severe head injury to Selvaraj, a fisherman, who started bleeding profusely and had to be brought ashore with the help of his fellow fishermen and admitted in hospital for treatment.

Sri Lankan Navy spokesperson Commander Kosala Warnakulasuriya has already denied that they were not involved in any such attack as alleged by the Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. He also added that it was ridiculous to allege Sri Lankan Navy personnel "threw stones on the fishermen."
In the meantime V.S.R. Murthy, Deputy Director General (Operations and Coastal Security), Indian Coast Guard (ICG) stated in an affidavit: "No Sri Lankan vessel can intrude into the Indian waters as the same will amount to contravention of the legal treaties of years 1974 and 1976. The prevention of such intrusion is also ensured by the ICG and the Indian Navy ships patrolling along the IMBL. Hence, it is inferred that the alleged attacks on the Indian fishermen had taken place only in the Sri Lankan waters.

V.S.R. Murthy, Deputy Director General (Operations and Coastal Security), has clearly pointed out that complaints of Tamil fishermen being attacked by the Sri Lankan Navy could be brought down only if the State government brings in stricter regulations preventing the fishermen from crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).

He has further said in the affidavit filed in the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, "According to the information received, 17,102 Indian fishing boats were poaching in the Sri Lankan waters between June and October. Further, 1,482 boats were involved in cross-border fishing (between October 28 and November 4) even after stepping up of surveillance in the Palk Bay area as per interim directions issued by the Bench.
"The cross-border fishing reports as received from Sri Lankan authorities have been forwarded to the Tamil Nadu Government. Despite giving ample documentary details of erring Indian fishing boats to the State authorities, cross-border fishing continues"¦," he said.

"The fisheries law of Government of Sri Lanka prohibits use of bottom trawling and monofilament nets whereas the Tamil Nadu fishermen crossing IMBL make use of these bottom trawl nets and monofilament nets during fishing in the Sri Lankan waters. This further multiplies the offence of poaching by Indian trawlers as they are involved in an activity which is banned in Sri Lanka. "The poaching by Indian fishers and usage of banned fishing gear have raised the issue of over-exploitation of fisheries resources in the Sri Lankan side of Palk Bay, besides challenging the sovereign right of the country over their waters. The ICG has information from the Indian mission in Colombo about Indian fishing boats poaching inside Sri Lankan waters."
"Even after deploying so many assets in Palk Bay, the Indian fishermen never called for assistance through marine communication systems (VHF) whenever they came under attack, despite being a mandatory international practice to call for assistance through VHF. It is pertinent to state that most of the Indian trawlers carry VHF set," Mr. Murthy said.
- Asian Tribune -
Questions to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister on her baseless allegations of Sri Lankan Navy attacks on fishermen | Asian Tribune
 

Global Defence

New threads

Articles

Top