Jayalalitha cannot invalidate treaty signed between governments -
Rajitha
Chamikara WEERASINGHE
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha Jayaram cannot invalidate an
international bilateral agreement signed between two governments just
because she wants to take over Sri Lanka’s Kachchatheevu island,
Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Minister Dr Rajitha Senaratna yesterday
told the Daily News.
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Chief Minister
Jayalalitha |
He said this on being asked to comment on the recent resolution
brought to the Tamil Nadu state government by Jayalalitha which seeks to
takeover Kachchatheevu island from Sri Lanka.
Dr Senaratna said: “India ceded Kachchatheevu island to Sri Lanka
under an agreement in 1974. The ownership of the island has been
recorded even in 1920.”
“The agreement was signed between the Prime Ministers of two
sovereign states, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike and
Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi,” he said.
“There is no way that Tamil Nada Chief Minister Jeyaram can
invalidate a treaty that was signed between two sovereign states,”
explained Dr Senaratna. Asked about the claims raised by Jeyalalitha
that the Sri Lanka Navy has launched attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen, Dr
Senaratna said that even the Central Government of India has rejected
this claim. “The Indian Coast Guard has rejected this claim as untrue,
because there have been no such incidents,” he said. Under the
international maritime law, no country shall cross over to the
territorial waters of another country in violation of the International
Maritime Boundary Lines(IMBL), the minister said.
“The fishermen of Tamil Naadu should avoid violating the IMBL and
fishing in Sri Lankan waters,” the minister said. He said , Sri Lanka
and India have a Joint Committee on Fisheries to address those issues
relating to fisheries of both countries. “It is a prime concern of the
Committee to ensure that international maritime boundary laws are
adhered to at all times, “he added.
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