Dissanayake stresses “good relations” with India, points to Katchatheev’s stance in New Delhi

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. File | Photo credit: Reuters

New Delhi has recognized that Katchatheevu belongs to Sri Lanka, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said on Sunday (11 October 2026), pointing to the island nation’s “good relations” with India.

Mr Dissanayake was speaking at a public rally in the island’s North West province as part of a series of rallies organized by the ruling National People’s Power coalition to mark his two years in office in September. Outlining his government’s efforts to achieve economic stability and good governance free from fraud and corruption and maintaining strong ties with other countries while pursuing a neutral foreign policy, he pointed to the recent reference to Katchatheeva in the Supreme Court of India. “We maintain good bilateral relations with India. The central government of India has recognized before the Supreme Court that Katchatheevu Island belongs to Sri Lanka,” he said, reiterating his earlier assurance to New Delhi that Sri Lanka “will never allow its airspace, land or sea to be used in a manner that poses a threat to our neighbour, India”.

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Last week, India’s Supreme Court heard a series of petitions challenging the “unconstitutional cession” of Katchatheevu Island to Sri Lanka in the 1970s. According to news reports, Attorney General R. Venkataramani told the court that India had “excellent relations” with Sri Lanka and had no intention of reopening the 1974 and 1976 Katchatheevu agreements with Sri Lanka. While the case is scheduled for further hearing in February 2027, Justice Sanjay Kumar, who is on the bench along with Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, noted that New Delhi and Tamil Nadu must “sensitize” fishermen to refrain from sailing into Sri Lankan waters.

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Politicians in India, both in Tamil Nadu and New Delhi, often refer to Katchatheeva while dealing with the issue of frequent arrests of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy on charges of illegal fishing in the island’s territorial waters. It is well known that Indian fishermen, originating from the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu, go far beyond the International Maritime Boundary Line and the nearby Katchatheevu Island on the Sri Lankan side to pump the marine resource-rich waters along the northern coast of Sri Lanka, that too using the destructive method of bottom trawling. Earlier, Sri Lankan Fisheries Minister Ramalingam Chandrasekar also welcomed the Attorney General’s remarks on Katchatheev and the Court’s reminder of the need to sensitize Tamil Nadu fishermen.

Last year, President Dissanayake made a surprise visit to Katchatheeva and said, “The government is determined to protect the surrounding seas, islands and land of the country for the benefit of the people and will not allow any outside force to exert influence in this regard.

Published – 11 October 2026 21:20 IST