Response to India Must Attend CHOGM in it’s Own Interestâ€Â
Posted on October 31st, 2013
Ira de Silva Ontario, Canada
The Editor
Times of India
Delhi, India
‚
Dear Sir:
‚
Mr. Singh is still undecided about whether to attend. In the meantime Tamil Nadu is passing resolutions to boycott and politically backed thugs are on the loose in Tamil Nadu to pressure the Central Government. Security is being increased at Sri Lankan offices in Tamil Nadu because of the many past attacks on them when politicians in Tamil Nadu want to reinforce their antipathy towards Sri Lanka for political clout. What most Indians do not seem to realise is that Sri Lanka is not a part of India. It is a sovereign country. Tamil Nadu acts as if it can dictate terms to Sri Lanka via the Central Government. Should Mr. Singh decide to not go, it would appear that he supports Tamil Nadu in it’s strident, aggressive, violent politics and that he has adopted Tamil Nadu’s brand of ignorant, violent, undiplomatic attacks on Sri Lanka abdicating the Centre’s responsibility for foreign affairs giving it to the states. How far the “mighty India” has fallen will be demonstrated to the world.
‚
Indian ignorance of the facts regarding Sri Lanka is demonstrated by the writer’s statement that “this was the first time a Tamil party has been allowed to form a provincial government by Colombo”. For your information, provincial governments in Sri Lanka were created after the Indo-Lanka Agreement, which incidentally was forced on Sri Lanka by India pandering to the LTTE and Tamil Nadu for Indian Tamil votes and was in India’s interests only. Sri Lankans were opposed and are still opposed to what India foisted on them. The reason that there was no provincial government in the north since these governments were created was because the Indian and Tamil Nadu backed LTTE was a terrorist, fascist, dictatorship which deprived a vote to those under their rule. It was only after the Indian created LTTE dictatorship was militarily defeated that people of the north had the opportunity to vote, not because of Colombo but thanks to Colombo and at great cost to Sri Lanka in lives lost and economic hardship all because of “India’s interests”.
‚
Regarding what is at stake for India if Mr. Singh does not attend –
‚
” If India downgrades its participation in CHOGM, it runs the risk of “losing” Lanka”. If Mr. Singh does not attend, Sri Lanka should clearly indicate to India that it will no longer tolerate India’s domineering, interfering, aggressive attitude and that India will not receive any concessions whether political or economic. In short, Sri Lanka should tell India to get lost. While it is questionable that ” India dominates strategic ground” in Hambantota, whatever ground it dominates should be taken back by Sri Lanka immediately. If India wants to stay home, so be it, get votes in India using other scapegoats and leave Sri Lanka alone.
‚
“Second, India as the big regional power has never missed a multilateral summit in its own region. In 2004, India signalled displeasure with Bangladesh, which then rescheduled the SAARC summit”. India can signal it’s displeasure all it wants, the summit will be held in Colombo. If Mr. Singh does not attend, as pointed out, the other countries will be represented at the head of state level so India’s voice will not be equal. The same applies to Canada and there have been many voices in Canada, including that of a former Prime Minister, Mr. B. Mulroney, stating that Canada has made a mistake in it’s decision that the Prime Minister will not attend. Both India and Canada are countries that helped terrorise Sri Lanka. Non attendance may be a welcome relief for Sri Lankans who can still remember the fear and terror caused to them by these two countries support of the LTTE.
‚
Third, “India’s leverage with Sri Lanka would vanish. This would make it impossible to influence Lankan behaviour particularly with regard to the fishermen issue, close to hearts of all Tamil politicians in India”. The fact is that the Tamil fisherman of Sri Lanka, whose livelihood is being threatened by the constant poaching of the Tamil Nadu fisherman, may welcome this “leverage” vanishing. The hypocrisy of India and Tamil Nadu’s interference and aggression against Sri Lanka is clearly manifested in this issue. While constantly harping on the rights of the Tamils of Sri Lanka, it is India that is infringing on their basic right to work in their own waters because of Indian disregard of international boundaries. The fact that the newly elected head of the northern provincial council in Sri Lanka has stated that India should attend indicates that he is fully aware of Indian hypocrisy and treachery regarding the issue of the fisherman.
‚
For Sri Lanka’s sake, it is hoped that the “inner track of communication” whatever that is, will be broken, that Sri Lanka will be rid of India and it’s interests at the expense of Sri Lanka. If India is not attending because of votes in India, there is the possibility that if the President of Sri Lanka openly expresses his displeasure with India, it’s bullying attitude, stops giving concessions to India and stands firm on behalf of the country, he would get more votes in Sri Lanka. That would be a win win situation for politicians in both India and Sri Lanka. The losers would be the LTTE diaspora which would be a very welcome outcome for all Sri Lankans.
‚
Yours truly,
‚
Ira de Silva
Ontario, Canada
October 31st, 2013 at 4:54 pm
India will abstain due to internal problems. GOSL will ‘understand and appreciate India’s position’. It will be business as usual there after.
November 1st, 2013 at 11:19 am
To quote the article: “Security is being increased at Sri Lankan offices in Tamil Nadu because of the many past attacks on them when politicians in Tamil Nadu want to reinforce their antipathy towards Sri Lanka for political clout.” If the Sinhalese were to do the same on the Tamils it would be screamed out that “human rights” is being violated.
Second quote: “If Mr. Singh does not attend, Sri Lanka should clearly indicate to India that it will no longer tolerate India’s domineering, interfering, aggressive attitude and that India will not receive any concessions whether political or economic.” and the article goes on to state ““Second, India as the big regional power has never missed a multilateral summit in its own region”
Not that big nor that powerful. A report stated that 37% of India’s population live on two dollars per day and 60% of India’s population live on just a dollar per day. That does not make India that powerful except a gargantuan example of failed management.
It is time Sri Lanka stop looking at this beggar ridden, corrupt inept nation called India as any kind of power especially since Sri Lanka has signed a “strategic partnership” with China.
Sri Lanka should turn the tables on India and state that unless India stop her bigoted accusations of human rights and stop her blatant interference she is NOT WELCOME TO THE CHOGM.
November 1st, 2013 at 11:24 am
Finally regarding India’s so called power one must keep in mind that a report of global slavery reported that of the 29 million slaves across the world HALF OF THEM ARE INDIANS LIVING IN INDIA. A FULLY 14 MILLION INDIANS ARE SLAVES. That is no measure of a powerful nation but a corrupt and inept nation.
What astounds me is that in spite of this report which showed NO SLAVES IN SRI LANKA India is not slapped with any human rights violations.