Asia 887
Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi spoke in the Indian parliament and accused Sri
Lanka of indiscriminate killing, worsening the relationship between the disputants,
and ordered the coast guard to protect Indian interests in the Palk Strait. Then, despite
the Indian warships that had moved to the strait, a Sri Lankan patrol vessel killed two
Indian fishermen in Indian waters on January 8, 1985. The next day India announced
it would increase patrols in the Palk Strait. On January 11, the Indian coast guard
seized a Sri Lankan naval boat and its seven crew members after a short chase. Indian
fishermen accused the Sri Lankan boat of seizing their fish, money, and nets, and they
gathered to jeer at the vessel’s crew as the crew was taken into custody. India took the
boat to Mandapam. Sri Lanka said that India seized the vessel in Sri Lankan waters
while it was on routine patrol. On January 16, Indian Prime Minister Gandhi met with
special Sri Lankan envoy to India Lalith Athulathmudali.
Gandhi proposed an exchange: India would release the crew of the seized Sri
Lankan patrol boat, and Sri Lanka would release the 17 fishing captains it had held
since October 1984. At the end of January, they conducted the exchange.
Coding changes: Start Date changed from December 17, 1984. End Date changed
from January 25, 1985.
MID#2778
Dispute Number: 2778
Date(s): June 3, 1987 to June 15, 1987
Participants: 750 India/780 Sri Lanka
Outcome (and Settlement): Yield by side B (Negotiated)
Fatalities: None
Narrative: On March 15, 1987, Tamil rebels sabotaged a railroad bridge in India in an
attempt to force India to provide more aid to the Tamils in Sri Lanka. Then, in April,
Sri Lanka sank an Indian vessel laden with weapons for the Tamil rebels. The Sri
Lankan government protested and called for greater Indian cooperation in ending ter-
rorist attacks. On June 3, the Sri Lankan navy stopped 20 Indian fishing vessels laden
with supplies for the Tamils. The next day India air dropped 25 tons of supplies to
the Tamils. Sri Lanka protested the violation of airspace. On June 15, the Sri Lankan
foreign ministry released a joint communique in which Sri Lanka agreed to allow
unarmed Indian vessels to deliver supplies to the Tamils in northeastern Sri Lanka.
Coding changes: Start Date changed from March 15, 1987.
MID#4587
Dispute Number: 4587
Date(s): July 12, 2008 to October 27, 2008
Participants: 780 Sri Lanka/750 India
Outcome (and Settlement): Unclear (None)
Fatalities: None
Narrative: Sri Lankan patrol vessels attacked Indian fishing boats in July and October
2008.