Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Troubled waters: On India-Sri Lanka fishing conflict

Troubled waters: On India-Sri Lanka fishing conflict

India and Sri Lanka should find a lasting (तक चलने वाले) solution to the issues facing fisherfolk (मछुआरों) on both sides

Fishermen from Tamil Nadu keep getting caught with alarming (ख़तरनाक, चिंताजनक, परेशान करने वाला) regularity (नियमितता, सामान्यता, आवृत्ति) in the territorial (प्रादेशिक) waters of Sri Lanka for “poaching (भोंकना, अवैध रूप से पकड़ना)”. Yet, the stakeholders (हिस्सेदार, साझेदार) concerned (चिंतित, जुड़ा हुआ, संबंधित) have yet to demonstrate (प्रदर्शन करना, इंगित करना, दिखाना) the alacrity (तत्परता) required for well-known (जाना-माना, परिचित, सामान्य) solutions. In the latest development (विकास, घटना), the Sri Lankan Navy arrested 22 fishermen who are from Nagapattinam and neighbouring (पड़ोसी, सटा हुआ) Karaikal, on Wednesday. There are already 29 fishermen in custody in Sri Lanka, as pointed out (identify, mention, indicate, draw attention to) by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin in his letter to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar a few days ago. As per an estimate, Sri Lankan authorities (officials) have also impounded (appropriate, take possession of, seize, take custody of) 84 boats. The frequency (commonness, continuousness, regularity, rate of occurrence) with which Tamil Nadu’s fishermen allegedly cross the International Maritime (of or related to the sea) Boundary Line, despite being aware of the consequences (result, outcome, effect, reaction, repercussion, reverberations, ramification), highlights (call attention to, focus on, spotlight, underline, underscore, accentuate, emphasize) their level of desperation (hopelessness, distress, discouragement) driven by livelihood (means of making a living with the basic necessities (food, water, shelter and clothing); means of support, subsistence, source of income) concerns. This is, however, not to absolve them of their culpability (guilt, blame/fault; responsibility) in endangering Sri Lanka’s marine (sea, oceanic, maritime) biodiversity, which is of vital (key, essential, important) importance to Tamil fishermen of the Northern Province (territory, region, state (of a country)), who suffered in the civil war. The vexatious problem has also been aggravated (exacerbate, make worse, compound, add to, intensify) by events over the past month — the reported death of two Jaffna (Jaffna is the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka) fishermen following “mid-sea clashes (conflict, fight, confrontation) with their Tamil Nadu counterparts” on January 27 and 29, subsequent (following, ensuing, succeeding, successive) protests by northern Sri Lankan fishermen, and the reported auctioning by Sri Lanka of 140 impounded boats even before a Tamil Nadu government team and fishermen’s representatives could visit Sri Lanka to finalise modalities (a particular method or procedure) on the disposal of unsalvageable (unrecoverable, unreclaimable) boats. There has been no word from Colombo on permitting fishermen-devotees to attend, in March, the annual festival of St. Anthony’s Church at Katchatheevu.

Apart from getting the arrested fishermen released, the governments of the two countries should fix a date for an early meeting of the Joint Working Group (the bilateral administrative mechanism formed to discuss the boundary issues with the purpose of finding a solution), last held in December 2020. They should also facilitate the resumption (restarting, recommencement) of talks at the level of fisherfolk, especially from Tamil Nadu and the Northern Province. Sri Lanka should be proactive (forward-looking, fore-thoughtful) as its citizens in the North bear the brunt (to suffer/get the worst (bad) part of some action) of the alleged (supposed, so-called, claimed, professed, purported, ostensible, apparent, reported) acts of transgression (infringement, contravention, breach, violation, overstepping). Besides, its positive actions would be in tune with (in agreement with, in line with) what the Prime Ministers of India and Sri Lanka agreed at the virtual summit (meeting, conference; (international meeting/conference of heads of state/government)) in September 2020 — to “continue engagement (participation, taking part, involvement) to address the issues related to fishermen through regular consultation and bilateral channels”. New Delhi should also consider providing additional incentives and concessions to fishermen of the Palk Bay (a waterway/inlet of the Bay of Bengal sea between the Tamil Nadu state of India and the Jaffna District of the Northern Province of the island nation of Sri Lanka. (Bay is a body of water surrounded by land on three sides)) districts of Tamil Nadu to elicit a better response from them for its deep sea fishing project. It could also propose assistance for the fishermen of the Northern Province as a gesture (sign, signal, indication; action, deed, move) of goodwill (compassion; cooperation, collaboration, friendliness, mutual support). There is no paucity of ideas in the area of the Palk Bay fisheries conflict (टकराव, विवाद, कलह), but adequate (acceptable, reasonable, satisfactory, enough, sufficient) action on the part of (done by, carried out by) the stakeholders is found wanting (absent, missing, lacking, not there, not present).

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.conflict (noun)

Hindi Meaning - टकराव, विवाद, कलह
English Meaning - dispute, quarrel, squabble; clash, friction, opposition.

2.lasting (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - तक चलने वाले
English Meaning - enduring, long-lasting, long-term, permanent.

3.fisherfolk (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मछुआरों
English Meaning - fishermen.

4.alarming (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - ख़तरनाक, चिंताजनक, परेशान करने वाला
English Meaning - worrying, disturbing, shocking/distressing.

5.regularity (noun)

Hindi Meaning - नियमितता, सामान्यता, आवृत्ति
English Meaning - continuousness, commonness, frequency.

6.territorial (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - प्रादेशिक
English Meaning - relating to a particular territory (area/region).

7.territorial waters (noun)

Hindi Meaning - समुद्री सीमा
English Meaning - In international law, that area of the sea immediately adjacent to the shores of a state and subject to the territorial jurisdiction of that state (i.e. country).

8.poach (verb)

Hindi Meaning - भोंकना, अवैध रूप से पकड़ना
English Meaning - hunt illegally, catch illegally.

9.stakeholder (noun)

Hindi Meaning - हिस्सेदार, साझेदार
English Meaning - a person with an interest in something.

10.concerned (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - चिंतित, जुड़ा हुआ, संबंधित
English Meaning - connected, related, involved.

11.demonstrate (verb)

Hindi Meaning - प्रदर्शन करना, इंगित करना, दिखाना
English Meaning - indicate, show, display.

12.alacrity (noun)

Hindi Meaning - तत्परता
English Meaning - readiness, willingness, swiftness, promptness.

13.well-known (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - जाना-माना, परिचित, सामान्य
English Meaning - familiar, common, usual.

14.development (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विकास, घटना
English Meaning - event, turn of events, occurrence, happening, circumstance, incident, phenomenon, situation, outcome.

15.neighbouring (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - पड़ोसी, सटा हुआ
English Meaning - adjacent.

16.caught past participle of catch (verb)

English Meaning - arrest, apprehend, take prisoner, take captive, take into custody.

17.troubled waters (phrase)

English Meaning - a difficult situation/time.

18.point out (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - identify, mention, indicate, draw attention to.

19.authorities (noun)

English Meaning - officials.

20.impound (verb)

English Meaning - appropriate, take possession of, seize, take custody of.

21.frequency (noun)

English Meaning - commonness, continuousness, regularity, rate of occurrence.

22.allegedly (adverb)

English Meaning - reportedly, supposedly, purportedly, ostensibly, apparently.

23.maritime (adjective)

English Meaning - of or related to the sea.

24.International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) (noun)

English Meaning - it usually bounds areas of exclusive national rights over mineral and biological resources, encompassing maritime features, limits and zones (such as the territorial sea (12 nautical miles), contiguous zone (24 nautical miles), exclusive economic zone (200 nautical miles), and the continental shelf within and beyond 200 nautical miles). Generally, a maritime boundary is delineated at a particular distance from a jurisdiction’s coastline under the United Nations Convention on Law of Sea (UNCLOS).

25.despite (preposition)

English Meaning - in spite of, notwithstanding, regardless of.

26.consequences (noun)

English Meaning - result, outcome, effect, reaction, repercussion, reverberations, ramification.

27.highlight (verb)

English Meaning - call attention to, focus on, spotlight, underline, underscore, accentuate, emphasize.

28.desperation (noun)

English Meaning - hopelessness, distress, discouragement.

29.drive (verb)

English Meaning - prompt; cause to happen.

30.livelihood (noun)

English Meaning - means of making a living with the basic necessities (food, water, shelter and clothing); means of support, subsistence, source of income.

31.absolve (verb)

English Meaning - pardon, excuse, punishment.

32.culpability (noun)

English Meaning - guilt, blame/fault; responsibility.

33.endanger (verb)

English Meaning - imperil, jeopardize, risk.

34.marine (adjective)

English Meaning - sea, oceanic, maritime.

35.biodiversity (noun)

English Meaning - the existence of a number and variety of species (plants & animals) in a particular geographic region/environment.

36.vital (adjective)

English Meaning - key, essential, important.

37.province (noun)

English Meaning - territory, region, state (of a country).

38.civil war (noun)

English Meaning - a war between organized groups within the same state or country.

39.vexatious (adjective)

English Meaning - annoying, vexing, irritating.

40.aggravate (verb)

English Meaning - exacerbate, make worse, compound, add to, intensify.

41.jaffna (noun)

English Meaning - Jaffna is the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka.

42.clash (noun)

English Meaning - conflict, fight, confrontation.

43.counterpart (noun)

English Meaning - someone or something that has the same job or purpose as another; equivalent, equal, fellow.

44.subsequent (adjective)

English Meaning - following, ensuing, succeeding, successive.

45.auction (noun)

English Meaning - the process of determining the selling/buying price of something through a competitive bidding process; bidding.

46.modality (noun)

English Meaning - a particular method or procedure.

47.disposal (noun)

English Meaning - throwing away, getting rid of, discarding.

48.unsalvageable (adjective)

English Meaning - unrecoverable, unreclaimable.

49.devotee (noun)

English Meaning - supporter, upholder, defender, advocate, champion.

50.Joint Working Group (JWG) (noun)

English Meaning - the bilateral administrative mechanism formed to discuss the boundary issues with the purpose of finding a solution.

51.facilitate (verb)

English Meaning - make easy, make possible, clear the way for, open the door for; enable, assist, help.

52.resumption (noun)

English Meaning - restarting, recommencement.

53.talks (noun)

English Meaning - negotiations, discussions; mediation, arbitration.

54.proactive (adjective)

English Meaning - forward-looking, fore-thoughtful.

55.bear the brunt (phrase)

English Meaning - to suffer/get the worst (bad) part of some action.

56.alleged (adjective)

English Meaning - supposed, so-called, claimed, professed, purported, ostensible, apparent, reported.

57.transgression (noun)

English Meaning - infringement, contravention, breach, violation, overstepping.

58.besides (preposition)

English Meaning - apart from, other than, barring.

59.in tune with (phrase)

English Meaning - in agreement with, in line with.

60.virtual submit/meeting (noun)

English Meaning - (interactive) online summit/meeting.

61.summit (noun)

English Meaning - meeting, conference; (international meeting/conference of heads of state/government).

62.engagement (noun)

English Meaning - participation, taking part, involvement.

63.address (verb)

English Meaning - tackle, deal with, attend to, try to sort out.

64.bilateral (adjective)

English Meaning - involving two groups or countries.

65.channel (noun)

English Meaning - means, mechanism, method, mode.

66.incentive (noun)

English Meaning - payment or concession; inducement, motivation, stimulus.

67.concession (noun)

English Meaning - allowance.

68.Palk bay (noun)

English Meaning - a waterway/inlet of the Bay of Bengal sea between the Tamil Nadu state of India and the Jaffna District of the Northern Province of the island nation of Sri Lanka. (Bay is a body of water surrounded by land on three sides).

69.elicit (verb)

English Meaning - obtain, bring forth/bring out, draw out.

70.gesture (noun)

English Meaning - sign, signal, indication; action, deed, move.

71.goodwill (noun)

English Meaning - compassion; cooperation, collaboration, friendliness, mutual support.

72.paucity (noun)

English Meaning - insufficiency, deficiency, shortage.

73.fishery (noun)

English Meaning - areas of the sea where fish are caught in large quantities for commercial purposes.

74.adequate (adjective)

English Meaning - acceptable, reasonable, satisfactory, enough, sufficient.