Sri Lanka, July 6 -- Sri Lanka has no intention to cede the Katchatheevu Island, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said over the weekend, calling the "rumblings" in India an issue between the political parties there.

"We have our diplomatic channels open to resolve the issue, but what is certain is Sri Lanka will never agree to let go of Katchatheevu, a part of Sri Lanka and established so by international law," Herath told a TV interview in response to a question on frequent arrests of Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan waters.

Fishermen from India and Sri Lanka are arrested frequently for inadvertently trespassing into each other's waters. India's External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar on June 27 said the issue of Sri Lanka arresting I...