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.

Refugees of the 21st Century. Area of threats – Area of challenges

Current migratory movements have been mostly connected with the refugee crisis initiated in 2015, the deliberate actions of the government of Belarus in 2021 and the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It should be assumed that the pursuit of people towards the area of security is associated with multiple threats and challenges both for themselves and for their surroundings. The problems concern countries of departure, transit and destination. In each of these “stages” there are multiple threats affecting not only the refugees themselves. The main problem is the identification and analysis of threats, which would allow to define the conditions for strengthening the area of security related to migration. Threats concern both the life and health of people on the move (death in transit, loss of health, exposure to criminal and extreme political circles, involvement in criminal activities, economic exploitation, ethnic and religious animosities and conflicts) and for the institutions of states (social assistance, internal security). Global events indicate that threats, problems and challenges will continue to exist. It is therefore necessary to adapt the forms of institutional actions towards the problem in order to neutralize the indicated threats.