I had written the following article on how India had handled Sri Lanka issue during the Eelam War IV in February 2009 even as the Sri Lanka security forces were on way to Puthukkudiyiruppu after driving the Tamil Tigers out of their strongholds in Elephant Pass-Paranthan-Kilinochchi defence complex.
I am reproducing it here as the appears very much relevant as the political rhetoric on Sri Lanka exchanged between parties contesting the parliamentary election now in progress appear mere words and nothing more.
The article may not be reproduced as its copyright rests with GFiles which published it in their March 2009 issue.
Point of Catharsis
India may lose its strategic edge in the island nation as its government stands poised for victory
The Sri Lanka security forces are poised to end the military capability of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the dreaded Tamil insurgent group that had been ruling its own de facto state within the nation. The LTTE is fighting for survival in the last foothold of its domain that has dramatically shrunk from 11 districts in 2002 to virtually 200 square km now. The offensive going on since 2006 is the fourth episode in the Eelam Wars the two forces have been fighting since the LTTE refused to accept the India-Sri Lanka Agreement in 1987. It felt the Agreement was detrimental to its goal of carving out an independent Tamil Eelam nation in Sri Lanka.
Considered one of the most powerful insurgent bodies in the world, the LTTE under the leadership of Velupillai Prabhakaran had also refined the use of terrorism as a force multiplier in operations. Though Prabhakaran has bounced back stronger from battlefield setbacks in earlier Eelam wars, this time the Sri Lankans appear to have practically neutralized his conventional military capability.
Sri Lanka’s success against the LTTE is due to the singular focus of President Mahinda Rajapaksa in eliminating the war that had hobbled the country’s development.In the past, military operations had swung between well meaning peace initiatives and war due to lack of national consensus on handling the issue of devolution of powers to the Tamil community, which forms a fourth of the population. Rajapaksa got elected as President with a promise to end the Norwegian mediated peace process that limped through from 2002 to 2006. He identified military defeat of the LTTE as the key to resolving the issue and found an effective military chief in the army commander, Lt-Gen Sarath Fonseka, to achieve his ends.
Taking up the military option also ended Sri Lanka’s readiness to evolve a peaceful solution to the Tamil question within a federal framework that formed the basis of the Oslo peace accord. Over 48 countries and UN bodies under the leadership of four co-chairs – the European Union, Japan, Norway and the US – had underwritten the peace process. President Rajapaksa had leveraged the antipathy of Sinhala rightwing politicians and sections of the more conservative Southern Sinhala population to a federal solution to get elected.
His power projection on coming to office has caused widespread concern among civil society, the four co-chairs, and India. His political methods have been questionable. He installed his three brothers in key positions in the political and bureaucratic decision-making process. He has split almost all political parties to his advantage. Corruption and absence of rule of law have become endemic in the country. Human rights have been trampled upon, encouraging mindless enforcement of draconian laws with the security apparatus resulting in disregard for rule of law. This has left the Tamil community with a feeling of insecurity and uncertainty about their future.
This feeling has been enhanced by the strong rightwing Sinhala nationalist stance of Lt-Gen Fonseka who is riding the crest of military success. The increase of the armed forces to over 150,000 in the last 15 years came about as a result of the Eelam wars. The disproportionately large military strength in such a small nation has introduced an unpredictable element in Sri Lanka’s power structure. Sri Lanka is well known for manipulative politics and, even if the armed forces remain aloof from politics, their kinetic power could be exploited by politicians. Thus armed forces would appear to be a new factor influencing Sri Lanka’s policies for some years to come.
India always sympathized with the Sri Lanka Tamil struggle for equity even while it stood for a united Sri Lanka. No doubt this was largely influenced by the strong sentiments on the issue among the 60-million Tamil population living in India. The Tamil issue became a hardy perennial affecting India’s relations with Sri Lanka since the anti-Tamil pogrom in Colombo in 1983. It culminated in the signing of the India-Sri Lanka Agreement in 1987 between the two countries. However, the Agreement floundered due to objections both at home and abroad as it lacked transparency.
India’s military intervention in 1987 to implement the agreement was a fiasco as its objective became skewed when it ended up fighting the LTTE for three years. Political changes both at home and abroad saw the return of the Indian force in 1991, creating only bitterness among all stakeholders.
Since then, India-Sri Lanka relations have focused on common interests in trade and commerce rather than the issue of equity for the Tamil minority. So India played the role of passive spectator during the Oslo peace process in 2002, giving a strategic foothold to external powers at our doorstep without gaining any advantage. India has been a low-profile contributor of mostly non-lethal weapons and services to the expansion of the Sri Lanka armed forces due to the strong objections from India’s Tamil population to any military aid. This has paved the way for China and Pakistan to increase their strategic influence as suppliers of military hardware to Sri Lanka, the strategic vanguard of India in the Indian Ocean.
Overall, India appears to have conducted its affairs in Sri Lanka without adequate attention to its strategic interests over the long term. Its Sri Lanka policy had been reactive at best. Delhi’s coalition political compulsion due to Tamil Nadu’s strong public objections to the suffering of the war-affected Tamil population in Sri Lanka has now become an important factor governing it. However, India finds that it can do little as it had sacrificed its strategic leverage due to external powers in Sri Lanka. This amply demonstrates the lack of a national strategic vision. The time has come to correct the drift in strategic policy in Sri Lanka with a well-integrated political, diplomatic and development initiative.
© GFiles India
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6 comments:
Thank you for sharing your valuable insights. I have one comment here, the reason India has given away the strategi initiative is because India has never had a singular strategic vision regarding the role it wants to play in its neigbourhood or the world. We had to suffer through the idiocy of NAM for almost 4 decades and after that our foreign policy has floundered for the most part, except for the 6 years of NDA rule when India finally showed to the world that it is strong powerful conuntry and needs to be taken seriously. Unfortunately the UPA govt has again frettered away the gains...
Yes.. India indeed lost it's influence over Sri Lanka.. Which is good... Because of it's influence we lost almost 25 years of development.. Now we have chance to progress without India and It's brain child LTTE.. Once the war is over India might have a run for its money to keep it's BPO share with Sri lanka and China
Be real.Cant SINHALESE learn from INDIA how to live in a multi lingual society? Is it so imposible to lift their head and look at INDIA which is just 18 Km away?Cant they read newspapers about how NHERU & CO handled the language problem and reorganised INDIA on language lines?Cant they take a plane trip land in delhi and see for themselves How INDAIN languages and regional cultures are flourishing?How every state imparts school education in local languages?How higher education is done in ENGLISH? HOW because of ENGLISH we have become a software super power?How even though 70% INDIANS dont understand their PM speaking in parliament they vote in right governments that guard the cultural plurality of INDIA?
The answer is they know it perfectly well. BUT THEY HAVE NO INTENTION OF DOING IT. WHY? They IDEALIZE the PAKISTANIS who imposed URDU on BANGLADESHIS and commited genocoide when they resisted it.There is practicaly no difference between them and PAKISTAN. THEY both are racists.They wish the destruction of INDIAN multi cultural nation.They were seeking support from US in the past and CHINA at present giving harbour facilities to CHINA
Sri Lankan Tamils are paying the price for the tamilian vote to UPA in the last election.The Hindus of Srilanka are being killed by Budhist sinhalese race with the help of Christian Sonia.Had the BJP was in power would they let it happen?Many half baked foolish north indians writing in these comments dont realize that more than 1000 Indian Tamil Fisher men have been killed by the SLA Navy as one of the largest Navies in the world Indian Navy stood watching by.Even pakistan only arrests Erring indiaan fishermen straying into the their waters.INDIAN CHANNELS has never ran a story on that.If iNDIAN CHANNELS began as a channel in the 90's means should it not introspect about the past? Instead of calling useless talking heads like KAPIL SIBAL , SUDIP and ABISHEK MANU SINGVI for uniterrupted slanging matches why cant you dig for truth?
. Srilankans helped PAKISTANI AIRFORCE planes to refuel and fly to bangladesh against the warnings of indira's government during 1972 indian war with pakistan. Guess who whre on these planes? PAKISTANI MILITARY PERSONNEL in civilian clothes.Once they landed in DHAKA they changed their clothes and killed indian soldiers and commited genocoide of lakhs of Bengalis in BANGLADESH.
Srilanka always supported American proposal for nuclear free zone in south asia nuch to india's chargin.They never supported INDIAN stand on kashmir.Now they are openly filrting with CHINA.Why your channel never goes back in history to dig the truth?
Now they are giving the HAMBANTOTA deep sea port to CHINA. for what? to refuel the chinese navy ships like GWADER port in PAKISTAN.PAKISTANIs supplied emergency military aid to srilanka during the height of KARGIL war. Now a genocoidal leader like RAJAPAKSE is glorified as a soverign head of state.
RAJIV GANDHI was misled into SRILANKA by a coterie that includes ROMESH BANDARI and others.The whole INDO-SRILANKAN accord is a trap,because it doesnit mentions any specific rights to Tamils.PRABHAKARAN was coerced into the agreement by virtualy jailing him inside DELHI's HOTEL ASHOKA.
NO senior tamil politician was consulted.The then foreign seceretary VENKATESWARAN saw through the SINHALA plot and adviced against it. Guess what? He was dismissed.Such was the influence of the coterie around the inexperienced RAJIV that he dismissed a seasoned diplomat thinking that SRILANKA was desiring genuine freindship with INDIA.
Once IPKF went there they showed their true colours. They did every thing to sabotage the fake accord.Theyploted to turn INDIA against LTTE.14 senior leaders of LTTE were arrested by Sri Lankan Army in peace time and deported to COLOMBO in gross violation of the accord and they all commited suicide.Did the INDIAN government raise any voice? no. why? because the entire INDO,-SRILANKAN accord was a Clever bait by sinhalese.
They feigned to lease TRICONAMALEE port to US allow VOA staion there.When INDIA confronted them they baited INDIA by saying OK we wont do that, But we will send you some papers regarding a few proposal to TAMILS , We will sign a peace accord throwing some false promises to Sri LANKAN TAMILS.And SRILANKA will fall into indian camp. INDIA fell for this bait. The late JEYAWARDHANE has openly talked about it later in his life.MORONS like SONIA who cant even can hold a proper press conference, who cant even complete a degree in LONDIN during 3 years stay will never comprehend the treacherous minds of SINHALA FOXES.
When LTTE protested to IPKF they couldnt do anything about it.LTTE too is guilty in opposing indians. But what will they say to their cadres when 14 senior commanders were killed right under the nose of IPKF. They remained silent only.Waves of protestsa in srilanka followed .DHILEEPAN took a fast unto death in jaffana.After many months the IPKF installed its puppet PADHMANABHA as chief minister of the NORTH EAST state in a bogus election.And LTTE took on the IPKF only after that.
THE TAMIL-SINHALA divide is an old running sore.Tamils of srilanka went to there 1000 years before.The sinhalese are also migrants form kerala,bengal and bihar areas of india.just a hundred years before them.The Sinhala lies that they are the true sons of soil is white lie.Sri LANKA is just 18 Km away from Tamil Nadu.And the waters are shallow.There is an evidence of abridge type natural formation from NASA photos. Wont Tamils cross this just 18 Km in 2000 years?
Right from the day British left the ISLAND the sinhalese are denying education in TAMIL for TAMILS and government jobs.They have a racist envy about educationaly forward TAMILIANS.They are denying all rights to them.MILLIONS of TAMILS live in foreign countries as a refugees. OUR country is also fighting many insurgencies.Is it using 120 mm guns,helicopter gunships,and airforce bombesrs on them? They are only used against foreign enemies.Thats how sinhalese regard Tamils.They know very well that their obsolete artillery and bombers will kill 100 more civilians for every LTTE killed.They relish the thougt.SO be it. Their true intention is commiting genocoide
the tamils like ABDUL KALLAM is makin missiles. Tamil Scientist CHIDAMBARM was the head of the atomic bomb division.The BRAHMOS missile chief is SIVADHANU PILLAI a TAMIL. The CHANDRIYAN project head MAYILSAMY ANNADURAI is a TAMIL also.hundreds of TAMILIANS have laid down their life for defence of INDIA in kashmir, KARGIL, even in AFGANISTAN. YET the INDIAN government under RAJIV GANDHI fell for the SINHALESE bait.Ignoring the wellfare of TAMIL RACE in SRILANKA.He didnt consult a single TAMILIA POLITICIAN on the accord.This is what happens when inexperienced charismatic leaders get into power.A security relationship was thrown as a bait by SRLANKANS and that was it.
Every NORTH INDIAN would have watched on the TV how a sinhalese soldier tried to kill RAJIV in SRILANKA.He is living free in SRILANKA today.SRILANKAN government has covered it up as an act of an individual.During IPKF time 1000 indians and 10000 Tamilians were killed. WHo was responsible for this?
The INDIAN TAMILS were completelt against the treacherous killing of RAJIV GANDHI. They annoited congress government of NARASHIMA RAO and MANMOHAN SINGH.
But still SONIA GANDHI's help for the genocoidal srilankans illustrate that the LTTE's fears on RAJIV was justified.LTTE feared that RAJIV will once again be fooled by LANKANS and they will be finished if he comes to power again.If you are in PRABHA KARAN's shoes what will you do?
after that they never destabilised INDIA.During NARASHIMA RAO,VAJPAYEE,MANMOHAN regimes,How many INDIANS were killed by LTTE? Come SONIA GANDHI the SINHALESE are only gloating.Did they try to assasinate SONIA in the past 15 years? Every one knows they will die for a cause once they aim for it.They have the capability to do anything.But they didnt try.Now in gross violation of all constitutional norms She is helping the sinhalese to kill 20000 TAMILS.Is the death of 20000 TAMILS not enough of a punishment? SHE still wants more.Enacting a careful drama of forgiving NALINI ,an accomplice in RAJIV assasination, SHE is secretely assisting the SINHALESE in this genocoide of TAMILS.The US,BRITISH,CANADIAN,NORWEGIAN governments were urging Sinhalese to stop the genocoide.but INDIA is keeping quiet.WHY?
News Channels like you trivialze teh whole issue by superficial reporting.,
sak .. i think u gave a great account of history in a nutshell.
peace must prevail, and equity needs to be enforced in sri lanka. no more unitary, partial constitution.
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