There is no need to reopen the Kachchatheevu issue, which was resolved 50 years ago : Ali Sabry, Sri Lankan Foreign Affairs Minister

Colombo (Sri Lanka) – “The Kachchatheevu issue was resolved 50 years ago. There is no need to revisit it,” said Sri Lankan Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Sabry. Responding to questions raised during an iftar party, he further stated that there is no dispute over Kachchatheevu. Only political discussions are ongoing in India regarding Kachchatheevu; no discussions have taken place regarding its sovereignty.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had revealed on 31st March that Congress had ceded Kachchatheevu Island near Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu to Sri Lanka. This has sparked anger among Indians.

Only votes are sought by raising the issue – Former Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India Fernando

During 2018-20, Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India, Austin Fernando, said,

1. The issue of Kachchatheevu is brought up in India only to garner votes, and tackling this issue after elections will be challenging for the Indian government, BJP needs to consider this.

2. If Pakistan trespasses into the Indian Ocean near Gujarat, it will be considered a violation of our sovereignty. If Bangladesh does something similar in the Bay of Bengal, what will be India’s reaction?

3. To please Tamil Nadu voters, India’s Foreign Minister may say, ‘Give Indian fishermen fishing rights from Kachchatheevu,’ but practically, this may not be feasible. This is a different source. At present, if a dispute arises, who will resolve it? India cannot assign this responsibility to its coast guard.”