Thu Apr 03 15:04:34 UTC 2025: ## Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Urges Modi to Reclaim Katchatheevu Island
**Chennai, India** – Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging immediate action to reclaim Katchatheevu island from Sri Lanka. The letter, sent following a unanimous April 2nd, 2025, Tamil Nadu Assembly resolution, highlights the ongoing plight of Tamil Nadu fishermen whose traditional fishing rights in the Palk Bay area are consistently violated.
Stalin argues that the 1974 Indo-Sri Lankan agreement ceding Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka is the root cause of the problem. He points to decades of opposition to the agreement, citing resolutions passed by the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly in 1974, 1991, 2013, and 2014, all demanding the island’s retrieval. Even in 1974, then-Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi immediately condemned the agreement and wrote to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
The Chief Minister emphasizes the severe consequences faced by Tamil Nadu fishermen, including frequent arrests, boat seizures, hefty fines, and imprisonment by the Sri Lankan Navy. He cites alarming statistics: 530 arrests in 2024 and 147 in the first three months of 2025 alone. This, he says, has pushed many fishermen into extreme poverty.
Stalin reiterated previous requests made since 2021, both personally and through letters to the Minister for External Affairs and the Prime Minister. He urged Modi to use his upcoming visit to Sri Lanka to negotiate the release of imprisoned fishermen and their boats. The Chief Minister’s letter concludes with a plea for a review of the Indo-Sri Lankan Agreement to secure the permanent protection of Tamil Nadu fishermen’s traditional fishing rights through the retrieval of Katchatheevu island.
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