Decades-Old Dispute Over Tiny Katchatheevu Island Continues to Spark Tensions Between India and Sri Lanka
• Katchatheevu is a small uninhabited island administratively controlled by Sri Lanka but historically used by Indian fishermen. India ceded control to Sri Lanka through a 1974 agreement between the countries.
• The agreement was controversial in India, with Tamil Nadu politicians arguing it should not have been ceded. The issue continues to periodically resurface politically.
• Indian fishermen had traditionally used the island for fishing but are now arrested by Sri Lanka for alleged poaching, causing ongoing tensions.
• Sri Lanka claimed historical control of the island through Portuguese colonial rule, but India said it was historically part of territory controlled by India's Ramnad Estate.
• The Indian government told the Supreme Court the island belongs to Sri Lanka per the 1974 agreement and that the issue of retrieving it does not arise, though Tamil Nadu politicians still bring up the issue.