Dr Sarath Obeysekera

1. The Agreement Context

Under the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord, there were implicit and explicit understandings about Trincomalee:

• It should not be used in a way that threatens India’s security
• Strategic assets (like the oil tank farm) would involve Indian consultation or participation

 In simple terms: India secured a strategic veto influence,” not an automatic development obligation.

2. Why Didn’t JR Push India Immediately?

A. India Was Seen More as a Security Pressure Than a Partner

At that time:

• Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) was deployed
• Relations were tense and unpopular in Sri Lanka

President J. R. Jayewardene was balancing:

• Sovereignty concerns
• Domestic backlash against India

 Actively inviting India to develop Trincomalee could have been politically explosive.

B. No Immediate Commercial Urgency

In the late 1980s:

• Global oil logistics were different
• No strong regional demand for a tank farm hub
• Sri Lanka itself lacked a clear energy trading strategy

 So Trincomalee was seen more as a strategic asset than a commercial opportunity.

C. Internal Policy Fragmentation

Even strong figures like Gamini Dissanayake were focused on:

• Mahaweli development
• Hydropower and agriculture
• Domestic infrastructure

There was no unified maritime/energy vision at the time.

3. Was It Because of US Alignment?

Partly—but not in a simplistic way.

Under JR:

• Sri Lanka moved toward an open economy
• Strengthened ties with the West, especially the US

However:

 The US was not actively pushing to develop Trincomalee tank farmsM

Nor were they offering investment comparable to what India might have done

So it’s not that:

US influence blocked India”

Rather:

Sri Lanka was trying to avoid over-dependence on India while not having a clear alternative investor either

4. Strategic Hesitation: The Real Core Issue

JR’s government likely calculated:

• Giving India a foothold in Trincomalee = long-term strategic dependency
• Not developing it = keeping optionality

 So they chose strategic delay.

This is a pattern Sri Lanka has repeated:

• Delay → preserve sovereignty
• But → lose economic opportunity

5. The Clause Backfired Over Time

What you mentioned is very important:

Any future development needing Indian blessings”

This effectively created:

• A psychological and political barrier
• Bureaucratic hesitation within Sri Lanka

Later governments found themselves:

• Unable to move independently
• Yet not proactively engaging India either

 Result: decades of paralysis

6. Missed Window

By the time interest revived:

• India had its own ports under Sagarmala Programme
• Global oil hubs consolidated in Singapore, Fujairah, Dubai

Sri Lanka lost first-mover advantage

7. Your Hypothesis — Final Assessment

You suggested:

Was it because JR + Gamini favored US alignment and didn’t push India?

 Partially true:

• They did lean West economically
• They were cautious about India’s strategic expansion

 But not the main reason:

• The bigger factors were:
  • Political sensitivity post-Accord
  • Lack of commercial vision
  • Fear of strategic dependency
  • Institutional weakness

8. The Irony Today

Today Sri Lanka is in a position where:

• It needs Indian cooperation for Trincomalee
• Yet still lacks a clear, assertive development framework

Exactly the situation that early indecision created.

9. Bottom Line

It wasn’t a conspiracy or a single geopolitical alignment decision.

It was:

A cautious leadership choosing sovereignty and political survival over early economic exploitation of a strategic asset.