Sri Lanka, March 12 -- There is a war-like situation growing in the Palk Straits. It is a battle for fish and livelihood, especially affecting our Northern fisher communities. The demarcation of the maritime boundary agreements of 1974 and 1976 between India and Sri Lanka made it illegal for fishermen from either side to cross over into each other's waters to fish.
But large Indian trawler vessels keep aggressively entering our sea-space. The bottom trawling methods they use denude fish stocks and the Indian fishermen themselves act aggressively toward the smaller Lankan boats. In more recent times, aggressive actions of Indian fishermen resulted in the death of Sri Lankan navy personnel.
For long, the ethnic war hindered the Lanka's Nort...