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Indian Govt. should annul 1974 agreement and retrieve Katchatheevu – Stalin

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Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of failing to stop attacks on Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan navy despite promising to find a solution during election campaign, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Friday said retrieval of Katchatheevu island was the only solution for the problems faced by fishermen.

Pointing out that as many as 619 fishermen were arrested in 48 incidents of assault by the Sri Lankan Navy, Stalin reminded Modi of his 2014 campaign speech in Ramanathapuram that he would put an end to such attacks after coming to power and accused the then Congress government of being “weak.”

“The attacks continue under the Narendra Modi regime. What does it mean? It means the Modi government is weak,” Stalin told a fishermen welfare conference in Rameswaram island. Devoting a significant portion of his speech to needle the BJP on the fishermen issue, Stalin said Modi had handed out an assurance that he will not allow the attacks to happen.

However, Stalin said, the attacks on fishermen continue to take place till date and there has been no action from the Indian Government. Of the 83 boats that it impounded in 2023, Sri Lanka has released only 16 of them and the remaining 67 is under its custody.

“The Government of India should cancel the 1974 India-Sri Lanka Agreement and retrieve Katchatheevu. Ceding the island has cost Indian fishermen their traditional rights in the Palk Bay. The Union Government should take steps to cancel the agreement or we will take steps to ensure this happens under a new government in 2024,” Stalin added.

Katchatheevu is a tiny uninhabited island of just 285 acres sandwiched between India and Sri Lanka in the Palk Bay. Originally part of the territory held by the Rajah of Ramanathapuram, Katchatheevu was brought under the Madras Presidency during British rule.

On accusation that DMK kept mum when the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ceded Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka, Stalin said there was no truth in such claims as it was then Chief Minister M Karunanidhi who was the first to voice opposition when Sri Lanka began to claim ownership on the island in 1971.

“Chief Minister Karunanidhi released a statement asserting that Katchatheevu belongs to India in 1973. Indira Gandhi signed the agreement in 1974 despite Karunanidhi’s announcement. This is just an agreement. Our leader opposed the ceding of Katchatheevu by meeting Indira Gandhi after the signing of the agreement,” Stalin added.

(Deccan Herald)

(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by Deccan Herald has not been edited by SLM staff)

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03 Lankans featured in 2025 Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia list

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03 young Sri Lankans have been featured in the Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia list for 2025.

They are :
Nikin Matharaarachchi, in 2021, founded Sri Lanka-based Synapse AI Labs is the company behind Kommon Poll, an AI-powered social listening tool. Kommon Poll provides businesses marketing insights by analyzing keyword performance across multiple online platforms, including news sites, blogs and social media.

Charith N Silva, known for videos showing him preparing dishes in outdoor settings, launched the YouTube channel ‘Wild Cookbook’ in 2020 during the pandemic. With over 600 videos, ‘Wild Cookbook’ is now Sri Lanka’s largest YouTube channel with over 10 million subscribers, and Silva has over 2.3 million Instagram followers. In November 2024, he opened a restaurant in Colombo called Wildish.

Yanika Amarasekera-Siyaguna, a UC Berkeley and Imperial College London alumna, founded Silver Aisle, Sri Lanka’s first online wedding registry, in 2019. The e-commerce platform has since expanded beyond wedding gifts to include presents for all occasions as well as dining ,vacation packages and lessons in horse riding, golf and pottery, among others. In 2023, Amarasekera-Siyaguna was appointed an independent director of LB Finance, one of Sri Lanka’s largest finance firms.

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SL & India sign USD 930.8 Mn. debt restructuring deal

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Sri Lanka and India have signed a USD 930.8 million debt restructuring deal recently on Sri Lanka’s present External Debt Restructuring Process. 

The signing of Bilateral Amendatory Agreements between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Export-Import Bank (EXIM) of India took place on March 25, 2025 and April 03, 2025, respectively. 

The deal concerns 07 Line of Credit and 04 Buyer’s Credit Facility agreements with the Government of India.

Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development, Mr. K.M. Mahinda Siriwardana, signed the agreements on behalf of the Sri Lankan Government.

General Manager of the EXIM Bank of India, Mr.Nirmit Ved, signed the Line of Credits, and Deputy General Manager of the EXIM Bank of India, Mr. Amith Kumar, signed the Buyer’s Credit Agreements.

Issuing a statement, the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development stated that the signing of these bilateral amendatory agreements marks a significant milestone in Sri Lanka’s ongoing External Debt Restructuring Process.

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965 lives lost in road accidents during last 05 months

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A total of 965 people have died between January 01 – May 13 due to various road accidents across Sri Lanka.

During this period,1,842 accidents including 902 fatal accidents were recorded, according to police reports.

The main causes cited for these accidents include negligence, reckless driving and improper vehicle maintenance.

To address the rising number of accidents, police have planned a special island-wide program focused on reducing traffic incidents, including driver awareness initiatives.

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