Lanka Becomes Major US, India Defence Cog…
Posted on August 19th, 2016
WINSTON DE VALLIERE Political analyst Courtesy Ceylon Today
On the one hand, we find the government, meaning, President Maithripala Sirisena and Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe becoming quite adept at almost with nonchalance brushing off every volley fired by the Opposition, with almost the demeanour of one flicking a blowing away with one puff the speck of dust off one’s shirt. Time was when the government seemed to knuckle under the heckling. But as JVP’s Tilvin Siva said it to a nicety, the Joint Opposition has become a laughing stock.
That’s a statement he made with the utmost gravity. Politics in this godforsaken land has become too serious a matter to be left entirely in the hands of politicians. The President and Premier have apparently decided that on behalf of the people and country […my tongue’s reaching for my cheek] the ‘government’ is simply going to carry on with its programmes, plans, foreign policy initiatives, and what-have-you with a determination that commands however reluctantly, one’s applause.
I’m committing this down to black and white because today’s aged 40-odd plus readership were late teens at that time and know nothing of recent historical facts which caused the emergence of today’s political ideologies which are more intent on tearing down rather than on building up. So then, what we have is the officially recognized Opposition in Parliament, to wit, the TNA and a couple of others as well as the Joint Opposition that Tilvin Silva calls a laughing stock!
What Tilvin Silva, however, had not the foggiest idea about was that around the time he was ruminating on this in his mind, what you see below was happening right here in the heart of Colombo. And it’s a picture of the first ever Operational Level Bilateral Defence Dialogue between the armed forces of the United States and Sri Lanka was held on 8 and 9 August 2016. Sri Lanka Navy hosted the event at Naval Headquarters premises.
This…. the first ever dialogue between the two armed forces at operational level was EXCLUSIVELY ON BILATERAL DEFENCE COOPERATION AIMED AT DRAWING UP AN AGENDA FOR CONCRETE BILATERAL ENGAGEMENT OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS.
Listen to this: That agenda will include bilateral training ……..and exercises between members of the armed forces of United States and Sri Lanka.
I predicted this two months ago in this column when Lankan services commanders were invited to attend the US 5th Fleet joint marine exercises off the north-east region of the Indian Ocean and exclusively reported on the recent visit of the massive US nuclear armed amphibian to Colombo.
What this means is that we are already deep into the processes of a definite DEFENCE AGREEMENT WITH THE UNITED STATES.
What’s most significant was that this was no middle or lower level meeting but one that included US representatives from different formations of the US Pacific Command and was attended by TOP MEN FROM THE LANKA ARMED SERVICES, Ministry of Defence [UNDER President Sirisena] and Office of the Chief of Defence Staff.
Now for something that will take most or many of you by surprise.
Though the government has not denied statements by ministers…off and on…about the land bridge between India and Sri Lanka; it is obviously based on fact for the simple reason that such a bridge is indispensable in a conflict situation in the future because the fact is that while the US, Japan and India have a huge combined firepower they are together still not confident of their deterrent power against China which has a fleet and air force far greater in numerical and strike power than their collective power, especially within a limited area such as the Indian Ocean region.
The Indo-Lanka Bridge, I predict, will be a reality within the next 10 to fifteen years and prefabricated sections of that bridge might be already in the process of construction.
We were told a couple of months ago that the deal with Pakistan to buy 12 medium range Chinese-built fighter aircraft was good as through, but Jane’s weekly last week said…and you must read between the lines…the Lankan government will be calling global expressions of interest for the supply of 12 similar aircraft. We can be sure that the subtle change is not because the Chinese aircraft are inferior but because the effectively multi-lateral US-Indo-Lanka ties are expanded extremely quickly behind the scenes.
That US Envoy Atul Keshap went to town about the donation last week of medical supplies for Jaffna raised a significant point.
It was not US medical men and women who were airlifted all the way from the States for the event but the whole thing, personnel and all, was dubbed the, Operation Pacific Angel.
The supplies and personnel were flown in by? You guessed it! the US Pacific Command’s Operation Pacific Angel (PACANGEL).
Approximately 60 US military members, and members of the Sri Lanka Air Force, participated in the week-long programme.
We are a few feet away from Lanka acquiring major fighter aircraft and our Navy being converted into a force with modern regional maritime combat capability.
August 20th, 2016 at 2:36 am
There is absolutely no doubt about imperialistic US plans to build a US army, navy and air force base at Trincomalee. Please note that once the US builds their US army, navy and air force base at Trincomalee, they are not going to stop there. They will build other bases within the island. For example, Hambantota harbour could also end up as a US navy base and the Mattala airport a US air force base. Iranawila will again recommence their CIA operations of disseminating biased propaganda to all Indian Ocean rim countries and beyond and Palaly in the North in Jaffna will also be converted into a US air force base.
This is the main reason that the US has, from the very beginning, supported the LTTE terrorists, who are in fact the US imperialists proxy force, wage a war against Sri Lanka to set up a bogus Eelam. The US knows that the only people who are standing in their way are the Sinhala people who due to they being majority Buddhist and wanting to preserve Buddhism, being the indigenous people of the island with over 2,600 years of history behind them and with our tribal ancestors having over 30,000 years of history within the island and due to they being very socialist in nature and supportive of socialist and eco-friendly ideals will never, ever let the US set up any bases in the island.
Therefore the imperialistic US, UK, EU, Canada, Sweden, Norway and India supported the LTTE terrorists and the TNA set up their bogus Eelam within the island for sure so that they can then set up US army, navy, air force bases within the island.
Sri Lanka lies along the world’s busiest sea route or the maritime silk road. To the South of Sri Lanka lies the vast Indian Ocean. Sri Lanka is located at one of the most strategic locations of the world with the Middle East, Africa and Europe to the North West, with India to the North and with South East Asia and East Asia to the North East of Sri Lanka.
At present, the US uses its Diego Garcia base extensively to subdue, bomb, decimate and dominate the rest of the world. Iraq and Afghanistan was bombed by the US using this most strategic of US bases, Diego Garcia. However, due to sea level rises as a result of climate change, low lying Diego Garcia will eventually be taken over by the sea. What better place therefore to build a US base than Sri Lanka? This is the reason that the US supports Eelam since sepoy, slavish LTTE, TNA will do whatever the US tells them to do. The only people standing in the way of the US building bases in Sri Lanka are the Sinhala people and they have been slapped with bogus US resolutions at the UNHRC with a view to partitioning this island and bringing on an Eelam with these constitutional changes to turn Sri Lanka into federal states or to even implement the 13th amendment to the full
However the 13th amendment should never ever be implemented and no more powers should be given to the provincial councils, especially no land, police or fiscal powers should be given to the provincial councils under any circumstances. Also the concurrent list subjects should be given over to the national list. Also merger between any two provinces should not be allowed.
About Trincomalee harbour, please visit this absolutely stunning and vast harbour and then anyone will be able to see its potential. Already, the road to and from Trincomalee has been built and all the roads and bridges around Trincomalee harbour has been built. There are over 99 oil tanks near the harbour. There is the existing Sri Lankan air force, army and navy bases. Trincomalee town has been refurbished. Trincomalee harbour is the world’s second largest natural harbour. It has a submarine canyon along its sea floor which is a very deep canyon along the sea floor which can accommodate submarines which then cannot be detected by radar. The harbour itself can accommodate a large fleet of ships. There is also a railway line all the way from Colombo to Trincomalee. All the infrastructure development was completed by the previous Mahinda Rajapakshe Government.
In the North of the country, offshore from Mannar are the Kauvery and Mannar basins, which contain oil and gas deposits. In the East and North coast too, offshore, there are oil and gas deposits. In the very North, there are many mineral deposits. Sri Lanka’s EEZ or the Exclusive Economic zone is around four times the size of Sri Lanka itself. Half of this vast ocean is located within the North and the East (or bogus Eelam). Sri Lanka is also, in the future, a recipient of an expanded EEZ which will be twenty three times the size of Sri Lanka itself. If this happens, half of this (or half of a vast ocean twenty three times the size of Sri Lanka) will belong to bogus Eelam. Since Sri Lanka is an island, its ocean resources are just as or even more important than its land resources. Almost all of Sri Lanka’s offshore oil and gas deposits, its mineral deposits and half of Sri Lanka’s EEZ is located within a future bogus Eelam. This is the reason that the US imperialists want to create an Eelam so that they can then grab all these resources easily.
Therefore, there is no doubt that the US would want to build a US army, navy, air force base at Trincomalee. For that, they only need an Eelam or a federal state and this treacherous Ranil, Sirisena, CBK and Mangala will make sure that happens since they have accepted the bogus US resolution at the UNHRC and placed our armed forces in deep trouble when our armed forces are totally not guilty but the LTTE war criminals are now suddenly totally innocent of all the war crimes that the LTTE terrorists committed for over three decades by massacring over 47,000 mainly Sri Lankan Forces, Police Force and Civil Defense Force members and also thousands upon thousands of civilians.
All Sri Lankans should totally oppose implementing the 13th amendment to the full and any more powers being given to the provincial councils than they have at present. Especially no land, police or fiscal powers should be given to the provincial councils under any circumstances. Also the concurrent list subjects should be given over to the national list. Also merger between any two provinces should not be allowed.
August 20th, 2016 at 4:53 am
Even a half educated young adult can do what the Yahap people are doing in the name of ‘governance’. It is merely to follow Foreign Plans on how to govern the country, with heavy foreign backing for the survival of the govt.
Starting with the Central Bank scams, the Yahap folk have let down Democracy in Lanka. Lanka’s War heroes are being humiliated. Shame on Yahap !
History will record that it is the Yahap folk that have made mockery of Democracy in Sri Lanka. It is hard to believe that Lanka is a Member State of 56 International Organisations, and also is the first Democracy of SE Asia.
What Lanka has today is a Fascist type set up, with a bought/fearful Parliament and no effective Opposition, same or worse as during the times of JRJ when the ILLEGAL 13-A was imposed, and the trumped up 1983 Riots took place.
Is it Democratic Socialist Sri Lanka or something else now ?
August 20th, 2016 at 12:14 pm
Not Good, not good at all. Looks like the American Imperialists like their British counterparts have now got a firm foothold in south asia again. History repeats itself. According to my understanding one of the reasons for defeating the LTTE is so that no western power the US+NATO specifically. Doesn’t get a firm foothold in south asia by making north west Sri lanka a base of military command like their other military base Diego Garcia, which the US and NATO have been manacing the middle east for the last few decades. Its unthinkable this kind of thing would have been allowed in 2009 by Mahinda Rajapaksha indeed by any govt before that even JR would have objected this kind of thing and he was one of the most Pro-US SL leaders ever. At least in the 1980s, the US+NATO didn’t have designs on South Asia to the extent they do today. Personally think people will hopefully protest and put a stop to this. Because in Sri Lanka when people get wind of this they always protest and put a stop to this, as Sri Lanka doesn’t want to be a play thing of major powers of the world.
August 20th, 2016 at 3:22 pm
Correction : ‘ …. Lanka is a Member State of 53 International Organisations …’.