SHIV SHANKAR MENON HAS ARRIVED IN COLOMBO WITH A DEMANDING ROD IN HIS HAND SAYS THE HINDU
Posted on June 29th, 2012
by Walter Jayawardhana
The Hindu said the Indian National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon who has arrived in Sri Lanka in a special aircraft , who will unequivocally convey to the Sri Lankan leadership the path that India will traverse towards achieving a genuine political solution in Sri Lanka, has the most unenviable task of getting a message across to the Sri Lankan leadership ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”TimeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s up. Act nowƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢
The Hindu in a report while indicating the relationship between the two countries has strained said, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-He will meet Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, and others on Friday, ahead of heading back in one of the shortest visits by a visiting Indian official in recent times.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚
Menon arrived here late on Thursday night to discuss issues arising out of Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s reluctance to fulfill its promises, more than three years after the crushing defeat of the Tamil Tigers, the Hindu said.
The newspaper quoted Menon having said earlier , ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Our goal is an arrangement; the 13th Amendment is their amendment, not our amendmentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦we did the India-Sri Lanka agreement and gave them an enabling environment in which to implement their own amendment. Now if they think they want to do better than the 13th Amendment let them do itƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦They want to do it different, that’s for them. They all [all parties] must feel comfortable with it,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.
Written by R.K,Radhakrishnan the following is the full text of the report:
ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-He will meet Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, and others on Friday, ahead of heading back in one of the shortest visits by a visiting Indian official in recent times. Mr Menon, who arrived in a special aircraft, is accompanied by the Joint Secretary (BSM) Harsh Vardhan Shringla.
In the previous visits during and after the Eelam War IV, the first of which he undertook as Foreign Secretary, Mr Menon had outlined the Indian expectations, and had encouraged Sri Lanka to travel the path of genuine reconciliation post-war. Nothing of that sort happened in the manner India hoped it would. Rather, Sri Lanka has taken a completely different path, and has firmly focused on policing the State better, apart from embarking on a series of infrastructure development measures in the North.
The Northern Province continues to be the only one without an elected council. The reason the government spelt out on Thursday, was that demining was yet to be completed in the North. Even without completing demining, the government did find it comfortable to hold the local body elections ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” which the Tamil National Alliance, the only credible representative of the people of the North, swept.
In his two previous visits, Mr Menon, a former High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, had clearly stated the Indian position on various issues. In his last visit, asked if India was adamant on the full implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution, Mr Menon has said, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Our goal is an arrangement; the 13th Amendment is their amendment, not our amendmentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦we did the India-Sri Lanka agreement and gave them an enabling environment in which to implement their own amendment. Now if they think they want to do better than the 13th Amendment let them do itƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦They want to do it different, that’s for them. They all [all parties] must feel comfortable with it,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.
Between Mr MenonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s last visit and the current visit, the Indian External Affairs Minister, S M Krishna, and an Indian joint Parliamentary delegation led by Sushma Swaraj, had met Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa. After discussions with Mr Rajapaksa, both Mr Krishna and Ms Swaraj said that Mr Rajapaksa had promised a political solution going beyond the 13th Amendment. A few days after the conclusion of the visits, the local press insisted that the 13th Amendment was not discussed with Ms Swaraj; and no promises were made to Mr Krishna.
But the most important issue that has affected Indo-Sri Lankan relations is the Indian vote for the United StatesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…”backed resolution in the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, asking Sri Lanka, among other things, to implement recommendations of a post-war commission that it had set up. Sri Lanka has been smarting under what it sees as the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Indian betrayalƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ and has been trying to win new friends across the world. The vote has hardened the anti-India feeling in the establishment. Local newspapers reports said that Indian overtures to help Sri Lanka in refurbishing its only oil refinery, and rebuild an airport have been turned down.
Mr MenonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s visit comes at a juncture when the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has found time to meet bilaterally all allies in the region, barring Mr Rajapaksa. He has had three ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-on-the-sidelinesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ meeting so far in the past year with Mr Rajapaksa. Also, Mr RajapaksaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s invitation to Dr Singh to visit Sri Lanka has been in the deep freezer for over a year.
Mr Menon, who will unequivocally convey to the Sri Lankan leadership the path that India will traverse towards achieving a genuine political solution in Sri Lanka, has the most unenviable task of getting a message across to the Sri Lankan leadership ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”TimeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s up. Act nowƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢
Dissolving three provincial councils just a day ahead of Mr MenonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s arrival in Colombo, Mr Rajapaksa has already given India the answer, It is election time, and hence no concessions can be madeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚
June 29th, 2012 at 1:54 pm
Why do these SAKKILI ILLETERATE INDIANS try to pork their fingers intl others backside? Most of them have been LATRINE COOLIES imported by Britishers, the real hypocrites.India has still not learnt a good lesson even after the MURDER OF RAJIV GANDI, one time PM of INDIA who was responsible for CREATING THE LTTE TERRORIST MONSTER BY TRAINING THEM IN INDIAN TRAINING CAMPS on the pretext of having REFUGEE CAMPS and paid the full prize with the of Rajiv getting killed by his very own creations.
SO, PL GET OUT AND LEAVE SRI LANKA ALONE!!! and settle yr own problems in KASHMIR and poverty in INDIA!!!
June 29th, 2012 at 2:49 pm
WHY HAS HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT GOT TO TAKE ORDERS FROM A SAKKILI INDIAN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR MF ?? I DO NOT THINK THAT THE PRESIDENT SHOULD TAKE ORDERS FROM A MF OF A LOWER RANK. HIS BEING HIGH COMMISSIONER HERE IS OF NO CONSEQUENCE NOW. PRESIDENT SHOULD NOT BE SERVILE TO THESE SAKKILI MFs.
MR. PRESIDENT !!! WHY DO YOU HAVE TO ANSWER THESE SAKKILIS WHO HOP IN AN OUT OF SRI LANKA, LIKE BLUE FLIES ON A LUMP OF FECAL MATTER. PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO ASK THEM TO X………..OFF. WE KNOW THAT YOU ARE TRYING TO BE DIPLOMATIC, BUT CANT YOU SEE THEY ARE COMING WITH THREATS AND INTIMIDATION ?????? PLEASE USE HORSE SENSE MR. PRESIDENT.
June 29th, 2012 at 4:44 pm
Well said Jay-ran.
The
June 29th, 2012 at 4:45 pm
The obvious truth Indians fail to understand.
But sadly there is not much happening in Kashmir. Kashmir people should be more active in EXPELLING bloody Hindians.
June 29th, 2012 at 5:01 pm
HE Lorenzo- the king,
You didn’t see the news 17 innocent tribal civilians killed by barbaric Indian Police in Chhattisgarh ?
Time to ask them to investigate their own war crimes.
June 30th, 2012 at 4:13 am
Hi Lorenzo, thanks.
I could not resist using the above language as when I read the dirty news in Hindu, my anger was so high against these dirty Indians as they are continuesly trying to destabilise our MOTHER LANKA.Our poor village civilians as well as many many many all over Mother lanka were killed by these Dirty Indians creators LTTE.
Yes Susantha, President should exercise DIPLOMACY ONLY WITH DECENT NATIONS and not with Dirty Indians who defeated our stance at UNHCR recently by voting against Mother Lanka.Yes, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH,THEY MUST BE ASKED BY PRESIDENT TO Fxxx Oxx in PLIAN LANGUAGE like what President did at the height of the war.
MAY THE BLESSINGS OF THE NOBLE TRIPLE GEM PROTECT MOTHER LANKA, BRAVE SOLDIERS AND ALSO THE GOVT FOR DECADES TO COME!!!
June 30th, 2012 at 9:30 am
India is so concerned about Tamils because Tamils are from Tamilnadu. In brief, Tamils are recent Indian migrants. Otherwise, if sinhala people are recent migrants from India, Indian response would be different. IF so, Why Sri Lanka tries to make the life better for Tamils living in the North.
June 30th, 2012 at 9:38 am
Is this the first time,that India Used the word UNITD. Because other times, they said, they always support a unitary sri Lanka.
Sri lanka is a Sovereign country. Tamilnadu is a State. I heard, this is just a political game that India is trying towin Tamilnadu at the expense of Sri Lanka. IF that is the Truth, as Tamilnadu politicians as well as Sri Lankan Tamil politicians take Sri Lankan Tamils hostages, Sri Lanka should play a similar game.
Allow Tamils go to hell. If not, sinhalize them openly.
June 30th, 2012 at 9:47 am
I think, Some where President had said that we have to align with India. that will never work. Because<indians are never considerate or can not make satisfied. Simply,think, how they treat their own and how they behave in their own country
June 30th, 2012 at 10:42 am
India still has a ruling caste. Menon visiting Sri Lanka is a grandson of Krishna Menon No2 to Nehry credited with the ’50s phrase ‘vestiges of imperialism’ at the time Indiatook overtheremaining IPortugese colony in India-Goa.
Here the grandson is reducedto a sad state to become another vestige of imperialism serving the siren call of US lobbys. Surely having been the High Commissioner in Sri Lanka for some time he should know the many guises of terrorism and who runs the drugs and the narcotics business in India – if not he should learn from his colleague Mr Subramaniam Swamy.