The Chairman of the Ratwatte Estate in the Elkaduwa Plantation located in the Matale district has dismissed an Assistant Estate Manager who was caught on video violently evicting a poor estate worker family, including a 2-month-old child, with a weapon.

The viral video, which showed the Assistant Estate Manager and other estate officers illegally breaking a temporary shelter for the family, throwing out their food and speaking in a derogatory manner, led to several MPs and civil society organisations raising their alarm and demanding action.

Minister Jeevan Thondaman, who is responsible for the estate sector, visited the Ratwatte estate and the family on Sunday. At the inquiry, it came to light that the eviction of the estate worker and their family was illegal, without a court order or police intervention.

The General Manager of the Estate had also threatened to throw the worker family including his infant child on to the street. The Minister had then demanded for immediate action and accountability against the responsible persons.

The Chairman and the now-dismissed Assistant Manager had expressed their sincere regrets over the unfortunate episode to the affected family. The Estate has also vowed to construct a permanent residence for the aggrieved family on its grounds and committed to construct a further 11 permanent houses for families living and working on the estate, addressing long-standing housing issues they’ve faced.

Estate workers in Sri Lanka often live in sub-standard housing without access to basic services. Estate workers are also regularly subject to inhumane working conditions and often denied their basic rights. In the viral video, the deplorable housing conditions of estate workers in the Ratwatte Estate is clearly visible.

This year, the Cabinet agreed to commemorate 200 years since the arrival of estate workers of Indian Origin. Minister Thondaman also revealed that the Government is taking several policy initiatives to address the land and housing, education, health and economic issues faced by estate workers.

In his statement on the platform X (formerly known as Twitter), the Minister emphasised that “No individual should be robbed of their dignity or a home. The legacy of being born indentured to a company must come to an end. Everyone deserves the chance to flourish, live respectfully, and be free from humiliation.”

Mano wants estate manager sacked

Meanwhile, MP Mano Ganesan urged Plantation Minister Ramesh Pathirana to take immediate action against the estate manager, calling it an act of ‘modern slavery’.

Posting a message on X, the MP said he yelled at the Plantation Minister. “Sack the Fellow, We are at the end of our patience”.

The ferry service between India and Sri Lanka will revive historical maritime ties between the two countries, said Tamil Nadu Minister for Public Works and Minor Ports E. V. Velu.

Speaking at the meeting of coastal states development committee held at Kevadia in Gujarat on Saturday, Velu said the Nagapattinam port in Tamil Nadu was getting ready to offer the ferry service to Sri Lanka.

“To connect India with the world, the external affairs ministry has given green signal for launching a ferry service to Sri Lanka from Tamil Nadu. The ferry service will nurture the cultural ties between the two countries. Apart from increasing the domestic and international tourism, the service will also increase the trade,” Velu said.

While Nagapattinam port is getting ready for the ferry service to Kankesanthurai, discussions to commence a ferry service between Rameswaram and Thalaimannar were also underway, he said.

“The service will revive the historical maritime ties between the two countries that existed till 1980,” he said. Velu then said that a port will be developed in Cuddalore.

Source : Times of India

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K.Stalin, on Friday, revived the debate over Katchatheevu, an uninhabited and barren 285 acre islet about 14 nautical miles off Rameswaram, by reiterating the demand for its retrieval from Sri Lanka.According to him, that would put an end to the problems of fishermen of the State.

Addressing a fishermen’s conference in Mandapam in Ramanathapuram district, Mr.Stalin pointed out that following his letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan authorities, were released but the boats and fishing nets, essential for the livelihood of the fishermen, had not been returned.

This was not the first time that Mr Stalin or, for that matter, his predecessors, had raised the matter. Last month, ahead of the visit of Sri Lanka’s President, Ranil Wickremesinghe, to New Delhi, the Chief Minister urged Mr Modi to raise the issue with the visiting dignitary.

When did Katchatheevu become a part of Sri Lanka?

In June 1974, the then Prime Ministers of India and Sri Lanka, Indira Gandhi and Sirima R.D. Bandaranaike, signed an agreement to demarcate the boundary between the two countries in the historic waters from Palk Strait to Adam’s Bridge.

A joint statement issued on June 28, 1974, stated that a boundary had been defined “in conformity with the historical evidence, legal international principles and precedents.” It also pointed out that “this boundary falls one mile off the west coast of the uninhabited” Katchatheevu.

The pact brought to a close the talks held between the two sides since October 1921. Initially, the negotiations were held between the governments of the then Madras and Ceylon.

How important has been Kachatheevu to the fisherfolk?

Fisherfolk of the two countries have been traditionally using the islet for fishing. Though this feature was acknowledged in the 1974 agreement, the supplemental pact in March 1976 made it clear that fishing vessels and fishermen of the two countries “shall not engage” in fishing in the historic waters, territorial sea and exclusive zone or exclusive economic zone of either of the countries “without the express permission of Sri Lanka or India.”

St. Anthony’s Church there holds an annual festival, either in February or March, drawing devotees from both sides of the Palk Bay, a tradition which has been going on.

What triggered the negotiations between India and Sri Lanka?

Sri Lanka claimed sovereignty over Katchatheevu on the grounds that the Portuguese who had occupied the island during 1505-1658 CE had exercised jurisdiction over the islet. India’s contention was that the erstwhile Raja of Ramnad [Ramanathapuram] had possession of it as part of his Zamin. According to a news item published by The Hindu on March 6, 1968 which was based on the interview of the erstwhile Raja Ramanatha Sethupathi, Kachatheevu was under the jurisdiction of the Zamin “from time immemorial” and it was the “last post’ of the Ramnad Estate. He added that the Zamin had been collecting taxes till 1947 when it was taken over by the State government following the Zamindari Abolition Act.

However, replying to the debate on the matter in the Lok Sabha in July 1974, the then External Affairs Minister Swaran Singh asserted that the decision to recognize Sri Lanka’s sovereignty over the island had been taken after “exhaustive research of historical and other records” on the islet.

How was the 1974 agreement received?

The current demand for Katchatheevu’s retrieval traces its origin to the opposition that the pact generated in 1974.

During the debates in both Houses of Parliament in July 1974, most of the Opposition including the DMK, AIADMK, Jan Sangh, Swatantara and the Socialist Party, staged walk-outs in the two Houses.

Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was the Jan Sangh’s leader, had contended that the decision to transfer the islet had been taken “behind the back” of the people and Parliament. He was supported by Madhu Limaye, veteran Socialist leader.

The then Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi, even in 1973 when the talk of the islet transfer had been doing rounds, had urged Indira Gandhi that the popular feeling was in favour of retaining Katchatheevu which “belonged to India and not to Tamil Nadu alone,” according to a report published by The Hindu on October 17, 1973.

Three months later, he wrote a letter reiterating the stand, a copy of which was released a day after the 1974 agreement was signed.

M. G. Ramachandran, founder of the AIADMK, which was a fledgling party then, had criticised Karunanidhi for “his failure to guide the Centre properly” on the issue and sought his resignation.

When did the issue get a fresh lease of life?

After remaining low nearly for over 15 years, the Katchatheevu issue was revived in August 1991 with the then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa demanding retrieval during her Independence Day address. She later modified her demand to one of getting back the islet through “a lease in perpetuity.”

The Tamil Nadu Assembly had witnessed a number of debates on the matter. In the last 15 years, both Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi had approached the Supreme Court on the matter.

What has been the stand of the Union government on the issue?

In August 2013, the Union government told the Supreme Court that the question of retrieval of Kachchatheevu from Sri Lanka did not arise as no territory belonging to India was ceded to Sri Lanka. It contended that the islet was a matter of dispute between British India and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and there was no agreed boundary, a matter which was settled through 1974 and 1976 agreements.

In December 2022, the Union government, while referring to the two agreements, pointed out in its reply in the Rajya Sabha that Katchatheevu “lies on the Sri Lankan side of the India-Sri Lanka International Maritime Boundary Line.” It added that the matter was sub-judice in the Supreme Court.

Sri Lanka says a contest for supremacy is unfolding between the United States and China across the expanses of the Pacific Ocean.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe said that a power struggle is also emerging between Western nations and Russia in the context of Ukraine.

“Undoubtedly, the Indian Ocean hosts the world’s pivotal trade routes, making Sri Lanka an integral player at this stage. As we navigate these waters, it is imperative that we chart a course devoid of entanglement in these international rivalries, maintaining an impartial stance. Our foremost concern must be the safeguarding of our security within this sphere,” the President said.

He expressed these views during an address at the Presidential Colours Awarding Ceremony at the Navy Volunteer Force Advance Naval Training Centre in Boossa.

The President said that considering the evolving global landscape Sri Lanka’s security apparatus will undergo a comprehensive review.

He said that the review is poised to adopt a forward-looking perspective, intricately tied to emerging economic trends and the pressing issue of climate change.

The President said the recalibration of focus is paramount to effectively respond to the multifaceted challenges that lie ahead.

“Upon the compilation of this review report, a blueprint for modernized security policies of the National Security Council will ensue. The task of orchestrating this critical endeavour has been entrusted to Defence 2030, which has diligently appointed an adept review team. This distinguished team, under the adept guidance of former Major General Channa Gunathilake, is dedicated to the preparation of this pivotal report. In support of these efforts, a dedicated office has been established, reaffirming our unwavering commitment to ensuring the comprehensive security of our nation,” the President said.

The President said that the challenges that lie ahead extend far beyond the confines of weaponry or monetary considerations.

“Our paramount concern remains the welfare and prosperous future of our citizens, encompassing both those in active military service and those who will transition beyond it. Your dedication has not gone unnoticed, and we are committed to integrating your insights and perspectives into this new security review,” the President said at the Navy event.

The President said that the dynamics of today’s landscape witness the encroachment of global power struggles into the Indian Ocean’s realm.