“India feels let down by Sri Lankaâ€ÂÂÂ: What is left for Sri Lanka to say?
Posted on June 27th, 2012
Asada M Erpini
The Indian Express on 25 June carried a write up, reproduced by many other media channels, which raises many contentious issues.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-India is sending a top-level emissary to Sri Lanka to convey in ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”the strongest termsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ New DelhiƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s concerns over a string of important issuesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, is a quote from the above report. Obviously the emissary is playing the role of the viceroy of India for Sri Lanka, and all that poor Sri Lanka, which does not possess the military strength to retaliate or the economic power to say in plain Hindi, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Get lost: we will look after our affairsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ can do, is to let all these busybodies poke their fingers in matters that should not be their concern.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The most absurd among the concerns that the emissary is going to raise include, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-the anti-Indian stance adopted by some Sri Lankan ministers, (and) demilitarisation of the north and eastƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. And, to make the stance hilarious, Sushma Swaraj, who led the Indian Parliamentary delegation to Sri Lanka in April, is reported to have told the Sri Lanka government leaders, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-We stood by you. There is a feeling of India being let down badlyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It is India that continues to adopt an anti-Sri Lanka stand, and had been doing so as long as one could remember, the worst of which was the arming and training of a gang of street thugs, led by an initially small-time smuggler from Velvetithurai, to openly declare war against the lawful government of Sri Lanka. The so-called long-term relationship that the Prime Minster of India and the President of Sri Lanka are reported to have revisited at the R+20 had been dead for many years. If one were to go to the days when India did something good for Sri Lanka, one has to go back in history for many centuries, may be to the third century B.C. when Emperor Asoka of the Maurya Dynasty felt that he should send his own son and daughter to Sri Lanka to share the wisdom and enlightenment that he had acquired. At a more recent date, Indira Gandhi and her son Rajiv adopted strategies that were openly hostile to Sri Lanka, and the political bigwigs in Tamil Nadu, which constitutes one of the States of the Union, are gladly carrying on the anti-Sri Lanka actions today with tacit support from New Delhi.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It is Sri Lanka that has the right to feel that the country was let down very badly by India. On 22 March 2012, while all other South Asian nations stood by Sri Lanka, India alone among them thought it was proper to be on the side of the USA that led to the adoption of the anti-Lanka resolution at the United Nations Human Rights Council sessions in Geneva.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It is time that Indian politicians and their advisors stopped thinking that Sri Lanka is the twenty ninth state or the eighth union territory of the Union of States that constitutes the behemoth India. And, if Sri Lankan troops in the North are involved in the day-to-day lives of civilians in the North – of Sri Lanka – , that certainly is not a matter on which Swaraj should have sleepless nights.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Sri Lanka is quite capable of dealing with its own affairs: after all, puny Sri Lanka managed to get rid of the Sri Lanka-based armed wing of the LTTE with no help from any of the do-gooders. If Swaraj wants to worry about the welfare of the Tamils, nearly 70 million are there in Tamil Nadu.
June 27th, 2012 at 4:12 pm
India stood by us?
My foot!
It was China and Pakistan, not bloody India that stood by us.
India only sent illegal Tamil immigrants to SL WHICH WE DON’T WANT.
If India wants to win the confidence of SL, take back ALL Tamil speaking people.
June 27th, 2012 at 4:25 pm
I think this new Indian interference is to STOP the court banning TNA.
That is why the urgency. Otherwise they can wait. Why come now bloody injuns who always tried to create trouble in the neighbourhood. Curse them,. I hope China and Pakistan will destroy bloody India before this goes too far. Otherwise we will be in deep trouble. Bloody India should be BROKEN DOWN to pieces.
June 27th, 2012 at 4:31 pm
SUSHMA SWARAJ !!! CAN YOU START BUILDING TOILETS FOR THE 70 MILLION TAMILS, MOST OF WHOM ARE DEFECATING ON THE STREETS OF NEW DELHI. ENSURE THAT THE ROADS AND PAVEMENTS ARE WASHED DAILY. GET, KARUNA- NIDI, PAIKO, JAYALALITH ETC, TO SUPERVISE THE WASHING. THEIR MINDS ARE NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY, FOR ADMINISTRATIVE WORK. HENCE THEY SHOULD SUPERVISE FECAL DISPOSAL.
ALSO SUSHMA, TRY TO GIVE THEM A LIFE OF DIGNITY EH !!! SINGHEE WILL LOVE YOU FOR THAT.
June 27th, 2012 at 6:32 pm
I am pretty sure, this Hindian is coming to bully Sri Lanka. I wish Sri Lanka follows what Cuba did to USA. Get some ICBMs from China or Nuclear missiles from Pakistan and place those facing India.
Indians don’t stop bullying us.
June 28th, 2012 at 2:46 am
The India will only understand strength. We should remember that India could not handle a rag tag guerilla force of the LTTE in the nineties. This was before it burgeoned into a major terrorist force. Sri Lanka should build up its military strength to meet the Indian Jawans if necessary in the future. Singapore is what it is today because even if small they are militarily powerful too.
Immediately after the war when Gen Fonseka wanted to increase the military strength – Indians saw RED and somehow managed to drive a wedge between the General and the Commander in Chief. And like idiots they both fell into the trap and we are witnessing the predicament we are in today. On top of all this we are reducing our military strength and minimizing the military presence due to Indian and Tamil pressure. Politicos must have the moral strength to draw the line and say thus far and nor further!
Sri Lanka is getting squeezed between India, the Tamil Disapora, the Western Christian nations and the Catholic Church. It is a time to be very afraid. As long as Prabhakaran was alive we were safe in a way due to his intransigence. Now with the TNA out and getting more support from India and the West – Sri Lanka’s position is between a ROCK and a Hard Place.
As the Japanese saying goes – “If your sword is broken – take one step forward” or otherwise be more inventive, courageous and unpredictable.
June 28th, 2012 at 3:04 am
Ratnapala,
You forgot the Colombians, NGO’s & Marxists to the list squeezing Sri Lanka.
June 28th, 2012 at 3:28 am
THEY ARE THE CAT’S PAWS OF THE AFORE MENTIONED FORCES.
OUR WEAKNESS LIES IN THE SINHALESE’S SINGULAR INABILITY TO ARTICULATE THAT THEY ARE FAR WORSE OFF THAN THE AVERAGE TAMIL. SINHALESE SHOULD SHOUT OUT AND SAY THAT WE TOO SHOULD BE TREATED AS THE TAMILS AND OTHER MINORITIES ARE TREATED IN SRI LANKA. THE MINORITIES IN SRI LANKA KNOW THAT AS LONG AS THEY REMAIN CRY BABIES THEY CAN GET MORE AND MORE SWEETS!
June 28th, 2012 at 8:13 am
Rathnapala
What if all interested people begin educating the Sri Lankan public. Some may start name calling. But who cares. I there are different political parties and organization relating to this area. Some one should ask those parties to make an alliance or leave political parties behind and other organizations and individuals get together and educate people how to vote.