INS Mumbai.
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement

Sri Lanka’s main port in the capital Colombo on Monday (August 26, 2024) welcomed India’s frontline warship ‘INS Mumbai’, as well as three warships of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, piquing interest in the island nation that is familiar with the two powers’ strategic contest.

Indigenously built destroyer ‘INS Mumbai’, on its first port call in Sri Lanka, will stay for three days. The 163-metre-long destroyer is manned by a 410-member crew, and its commander Captain Sandeep Kumar called on the Commander Western Naval Area Rear Admiral Chinthaka Kumarasinghe, a statement from the Sri Lankan Navy said. The ship’s visit marks the eighth visit of Indian Navy ships to Sri Lanka this year, according to the Indian High Commission in Colombo.

Meanwhile, Chinese PLA warships ‘Hefei’, ‘Wuzhishan’ and ‘Qilianshan’, too, arrived in Colombo Monday morning. “To strengthen the camaraderie between the two navies, crew members of these ships are set to participate in a series of programmes organised by the Sri Lanka Navy,” an official statement said, adding that the vessels’ commanders would meet Sri Lanka’s Western naval commander. Both crews are scheduled to visit tourist attractions, the Sri Lankan Navy said.

The concurrent visit of Indian and Chinese naval warships has drawn attention in Sri Lanka, as India’s reservations on port calls by Chinese research vessels are well known. In the last few years, India has voiced concern with the Sri Lankan government on multiple occasions.

Following frequent messages from New Delhi, as well as Washington DC, objecting to the visit of Chinese research vessels, Sri Lanka banned the visit of foreign research vessels beginning January 2024. However, speaking to Japanese media in July 2024, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ali Sabry hinted at possibly lifting the ban on foreign vessels next year. “We cannot have different rules for different countries and only block China. We will not do that. We will not take sides,” Mr. Sabry said in an interview.

Last month, the Chinese Embassy in Colombo hosted a reception to mark the 97th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Earlier in August, the Sri Lankan Navy welcomed three U.S. naval warships that were on a replenishment visit.

Chennai:

The Sri Lankan navy on Sunday arrested 27 Indian fishermen and seized five of their boats for allegedly trespassing into their waters. The fishermen, residents of Tamil Nadu’s Ramanathapuram, were fishing in Sri Lankan waters off Mannar and near the Delft and Kachchativu Islands in Jaffna.

Fishermen in Ramanathapuram have now declared an indefinite strike, effectively halting the operation of around 7,000 fishermen. Protesting fishermen also plan to stage a demonstration on Wednesday, emphasizing the urgency of their demands.

Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Fisheries L Murugan assured a diplomatic solution to the crisis and appealed to the fishermen to end their strike. He also asked the fishermen to recognize the direct impact the strike would have on the lives of approximately 15,000 people in the region.

More than 600 Indian fishermen have been killed by the Sri Lankan navy for allegedly trespassing over the last few decades. Though killing has almost stopped over the last few years, Sri Lanka has stopped returning seized boats, crippling the livelihood of fishermen.

The Sri Lanka Navy has seized 22 boats and arrested 137 Indian fishermen so far in 2023.

It is said that the fishermen venture into the Lankan waters due to a smaller number of fish in the Indian waters.

Tamil Nadu has mooted two solutions to the issue. One is to retrieve the Katchatheevu island which India gifted to Sri Lanka in the 70s as they say this will increase the catchment area for fishermen and change the international boundary line as well.

The state has also suggested the idea of a long-term lease agreement with Sri Lanka to pave the way for legal fishing rights for Indian fishermen.

Chennai:

The Sri Lankan navy on Sunday arrested 27 Indian fishermen and seized five of their boats for allegedly trespassing into their waters. The fishermen, residents of Tamil Nadu’s Ramanathapuram, were fishing in Sri Lankan waters off Mannar and near the Delft and Kachchativu Islands in Jaffna.

Fishermen in Ramanathapuram have now declared an indefinite strike, effectively halting the operation of around 7,000 fishermen. Protesting fishermen also plan to stage a demonstration on Wednesday, emphasizing the urgency of their demands.

Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Fisheries L Murugan assured a diplomatic solution to the crisis and appealed to the fishermen to end their strike. He also asked the fishermen to recognize the direct impact the strike would have on the lives of approximately 15,000 people in the region.

More than 600 Indian fishermen have been killed by the Sri Lankan navy for allegedly trespassing over the last few decades. Though killing has almost stopped over the last few years, Sri Lanka has stopped returning seized boats, crippling the livelihood of fishermen.

The Sri Lanka Navy has seized 22 boats and arrested 137 Indian fishermen so far in 2023.

It is said that the fishermen venture into the Lankan waters due to a smaller number of fish in the Indian waters.

Tamil Nadu has mooted two solutions to the issue. One is to retrieve the Katchatheevu island which India gifted to Sri Lanka in the 70s as they say this will increase the catchment area for fishermen and change the international boundary line as well.

The state has also suggested the idea of a long-term lease agreement with Sri Lanka to pave the way for legal fishing rights for Indian fishermen.