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Maritime Issues and Security Implications for Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean Region

Sri Lanka (earlier Ceylon) inherited some maritime issues right from the time it got its independence in 1948. Although Sri Lanka and India drew up their maritime boundaries in accordance with two agreements made in 1974 and 1976, a number of issues have surfaced since then. The aim of this paper is to examine the maritime issues that Sri Lanka has been confronting in recent times. This article is based on secondary data. Maritime issues in the Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar continue to be raised periodically by India in the post-civil war era. In fact, the Tamil Nadu state government’s political interest in Katchatheevu Island has even resulted in that matter being referred to the Indian Supreme Court for a decision. This is because the Tamil Nadu politicians have used this issue as their political strategy in order to win favor with the voters. Furthermore, illegal activities like Indian fishermen poaching in Sri Lankan waters, drug smuggling and human smuggling across the maritime border have rapidly increased in recent times. Consequently, a variety of social, economic, health-related and security-related problems have to be faced by Sri Lanka.