By Admiral Ravindra C Wijegunaratne/The Island

Colombo, September 3 – Katchatheevu Island is located in the Palk Bay, one and half nautical miles from the India-Sri Lanka International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), on the Sri Lankan side of IMBL. This boundary line was ratified in 1976 in a tri-lateral Maritime Agreement signed by India, the Maldives and Sri Lanka; it indicates territorial waters, Contiguous Zones and Exclusive Economic Zones of three countries and agreed/ ratified by the United Nations. So, Katchatheevu Island is Sri Lankan territory.

Then why has Katchatheevu Island, 183 acres of land area, surrounded by beautiful corals and very rich fishing grounds, become a contentious issue between India (especially with Tamil Nadu politics) and Sri Lanka?

Tamil Nadu politicians always eye at Katchatheevu, saying it was “gifted” to Sri Lanka by Shrimathi Indira Gandhi in 1976! However, KATCHATHEEVU WAS NEVER A PART OF INDIA. Only claim they highlight is that during the time of the British Empire, in the mid-1800s (Reign of Queen Victoria- reign 1837 – 1901) Katchatheevu was given on lease to Raja of Ramand (Raja of Ramnathpuram) to engage in “Chunk fishing” around the island.

Please, read the book “Katchatheevu” by the late W T Jayasinghe, the Defence and External Affairs Ministry Permanent Secretary from 1972 to 1977 when Sirimavo Bandaranaike was Prime Minister. He was the father of the late Chrishantha Romesh Jayasinghe, who was our Foreign Secretary and then the High Commissioner in New Delhi, from October 2009, until his passing in August 2011.

This book amply explains how our team led by N Q Dias (Permanent Secretary of Defence and External Affairs – 1960 to 65 and Our High Commissioner in New Delhi from 1970 to 72), greatly supported by WT Jayasinghe, Hamilton Shirley Amarasinghe (Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to New Delhi 1963 to 1966 and UN Diplomat later – President of UN General Assembly 1976 and leader of negotiations in drafting UN Convention Law of the Sea ), Moragodage Christoper Walter Pinto (first Legal Advisor to our Foreign Ministry, who was sent to Europe to gather all historical details of our ownership of Katchatheevu from the Portuguese, Dutch and British Maritime Archives/ Museum, produced an excellent dossier for our team.

Thomas Abraham, former Indian High Commissioner to Colombo (1978-1972), in his foreword to the book, “Katchatheevu’’ by Professor V Suyreyanarayan, has said “Sri Lankan delegation, led by N Q Dias and W T Jayasinghe, was far superior to the Indian delegation. The Sri Lankan delegation was sharp, knowledgeable and they were to the point in their deliberations “.

The old St Anthony’s Church, Katchatheevu, built in 1905

That was the calibre of SRI LANKAN DIPLOMATS AT THAT TIME! No wonder those who served our Foreign Service achieved excellence, well supported by the political leadership of Sirimavo Bandaranaike.

As Ali Sabri, PC said a few years ago, as our Foreign Minister, “Katchatheevu is ours – clear as a whistle! – matter resolved more than 50 years ago!”

But former Attorney General of the Indian Republic, Mukul Rohargi, told the five-member Bench of the Supreme Court of India, presided by the then Chief Justice of India, R M Lodha, on 26 August 2014, “Katchatheevu went to Sri Lanka by an agreement in 1974! Now it’s on the Sri Lankan side of India-Sri Lanka IMBL! How can we take it back today? If we want Katchatheevu, we have to go to war with Sri Lanka and take it over.”

The Katchatheevu Island issue is a closed case!

I hope today’s political leaders understand this matter.

The Sri Lanka Navy rebuilt a beautiful St. Anthony’s Church on the Katchatheevu Island, next to the old church, on a request by the then Catholic Bishop of Jaffna, Rt. Rev Dr Bernard Justin Ganapragasam, in 2016.

I was the Navy commander then and my Commander in the Northern Naval Area was Rear Admiral Piyal De Silva (later the Navy Commander and was appointed Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Afghanistan). The Sri Lanka Navy Civil Engineering Staff built a beautiful Church (Church design by Captain (then) Rohan Joseph – a devout Catholic and who was my Naval Assistant when I was Commander, who is a Rear Admiral and Flag officer Commanding the Naval Fleet now) by spending 7.1 million rupees. All the contributions for this new church building came from SLN officers and sailors (mostly Sinhala Buddhists).

Saint Anthony is patron Saint, who protects fishermen and seafarers, like us, from danger out at sea. May Saint Anthony bless and protect our Navy!

So, these 183-acre Katchatheevu Island belongs to Sri Lanka!

I invite you to visit Katchatheevu Island during the next Saint Anthony’s feast, where thousands of Sri Lankan and Indian devotees visit it.

The Navy Civil Engineer (Lieutenant Commander M Silva), a brilliant officer, who graduated from Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU), spent four months, under trying conditions ,with his team, to construct the new Church. Sadly, he passed away a year ago due to a sudden illness. May he rest in peace!

The new St Anthony’s Church at Katchatheevu Island, built in 2016 by the Sri Lanka Navy

(The author, Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne, SLN,  WV, RWP and Bar, RSP, VSV, USP, NI (M) (Pakistan)