Is there a connection in the opening of the Indian consulate & violence in Jaffna
Posted on January 24th, 2011
Shenali Waduge
In May 2009, Sri Lanka did what the world said it was impossible to do. For the first time in modern military history, a terrorist movement was militarily defeated simultaneously with a humanitarian rescue operation that rescued nearly 300,000 Tamil civilians. We all know of the pressures that prevailed demanding Sri Lanka end its military onslaught. Beneath the diplomatic maneuvers to bring the military effort to a halt, public statements issued from foreign powers to showcase a different version. India tops that list & so we are made to believe it is our ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-friendƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. It is this new ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-friendshipƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ that has forced Sri Lanka to agree to opening not one but two Indian consulate offices in Sri Lanka. Could this new ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-friendshipƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ eventually lead to another covert operation taking place in Sri Lanka as is evident by the surge in violence taking place suddenly in Jaffna?
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ We are made to believe that upon realizing the dangers of the LTTE to India, it decided to secretly assist the Sri Lankan Government (by word only, unlike Pakistan). It should not take 30 years for India to realize the dangers to India by the LTTE, the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in 1992 should have been ample proof that the LTTE could even take out Indian leaders on Indian soil. If that did not stop IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s assistance to the LTTE, not even to stop Tamil Nadu politicians from assisting LTTE over the years, then the Indian version is a bit difficult to fathom.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ With the end & annihilation of the LTTE, despite remnants who have escaped to foreign shores, the people of Sri Lanka were finally given the right to live in peace sans the bombs, suicide bombings and false cease fires. No sooner the conflict ended, many of us knew that Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s real challenge had only just begun. It was natural that angered nations & their political leaders would have been in angst with Sri Lanka for not listening to their ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-instructionsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ and it was only with time that they would put into action ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-plan BƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦or another strategy that is all a part of the bigger picture for the Asian region/continent. Therefore, it should not surprise when things emerge where the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-coincidenceƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ factor should not alarm us. With the opening of the Indian consulate in November, we see a sudden surge in violence and it should make all of us alert & demand answers.
The Indian Consulate in Jaffna was opened on November 27, 2010 by the Indian External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna, located at Palaly Rd, residence of Jaffna District MP, Vijayakula Maheswaran, wife of slain MP. T. Maheswaran. The new Indian Consulate we are told is to issue travel documents & attend to cultural & educational matters. It would be good to wonder exactly what type of Indian officers are actually stationed here. Speaking on the occasion, S. M. Krishna said ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-We are convinced that a meaningful devolution package, building upon the 13th Amendment, would create the necessary conditions for a lasting political settlement,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ referring to the constitutional amendment that for the first time dented Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s unitary structure. Thus, India is making no bones about what it desires and what we ask of our Government is why are we bending our backs for a country that created & nurtured the LTTE to prevail in Sri Lanka for 30 odd years?
The Hindu newspaper reported on 8 March 2010, echoes the same sentiment ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-India intends to open a Consulate General in Jaffna to help the people of the peninsula and fully restore the connectivity to south IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ (Murali Reddy). According to another senior Indian official reported by the same paper ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-It would help India strengthen the cultural links between the Northern Province in Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu besides making it easier for the people to obtain visa to travel to IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.
Besides the thefts, kidnappings there have even been killings and moreover suddenly India is now accusing the Sri Lanka Navy of killing Indian fishermen. If we were to assume that LTTE cadres who had escaped were lying low and have suddenly sprung into action, it could not have been without some type of side-support and doesnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t it seem strange that we are diverting this accusing finger at the very nation that started this entire episode in Sri Lanka? Who is really responsible for reactivating this violence & if the Sri Lankan Government does find out, without being the nice guy some stern action needs to be taken. The accusations are piling against Sri Lanka as seen by the sudden statements by Indian politicians & officials which again makes us wonder whether all these occurrences are a part of either demanding for a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-federal solutionƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ or another modus operandi to destabilize Sri Lanka. India does take efforts to assist us but India must not forget that we are watching its movements with suspicion at all times because of what they did to our country by introducing terrorism.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ We are all aware of the role the Sri Lanka military is doing in the North, practically all the residents are full of praise for the manner that the military is carrying out its role & duties. It has taken many years for the military to build faith amongst the people of Jaffna, & when violence is now suddenly seen it only makes us wonder what external source is creating this & it shouldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t take us long to find the answers.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It is time the Sri Lankan Government too opened its eyes & took some actions, without committing the same set of fallacies that previous Governments took prolonging actions that eventually prolonged the ultimate solution leading to unnecessary bloodshed & loss of life & property.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Shenali Waduge
January 24th, 2011 at 11:41 pm
Shenali is right this is the thing we all patriotic sons of Motherlanka is telling this Government. We dont have any relatives in India to please or make them happy but some have and I dont know why they cannot understand or see the gravity of the situation. India is not our friend nor will be for ever. They helped the terrorists to destroy our beloved country and then suddenly what’s this new friendship? Who benefits from this.This Goverment has to open their eyes before it’s too late. We never allowed in our history anyone to open consulates in other ares other than Colombo. Why we allow these Indians. Our country is very small and no need consulates in every town and city. All our efforts to build this country will be in vain if another bloodshed started therefore this Government should not allow Indians to come and go as they pleased in our country like they do now. Killing fisherman and all this sudden violence should be investigated without delay and arrest the culprits because there is some conspiracy behind this in my view. We need to be open our eyes and be alert 24 hours if not snakes can creep through our legs. I asked the Government of Sri Lanka recognize the true friends and enemies before it’s too late.
January 25th, 2011 at 7:03 am
I don’t know whether there is a connection or not but given the track record of the Indians, one cannot but look with the utmost suspicion on the opening of the Indian consulate in Jaffna along with a branch of an Indian bank. To vary an old saying, ‘I fear the Indians when they come bearing gifts’.
January 25th, 2011 at 1:20 pm
We can be very sure that GoSL did not have a hand in the violence in Jaffna.
And, we can be very certain that the Lanka Navy never killed any Indian fishermen.
Tamil area Jaffna & Tamil Nadu are involved in both events.
January 25th, 2011 at 9:12 pm
Opening Indian consulates is not a crime but give some comfort to the travellers from SL to India. People from Hambantota or Jaffna dont need to come to Colombo to get VISA and spend money on hotels or on travel agents now.
Sri Lanka too have a consulate in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and Toronto, Canada. Why?
Jaffna and the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu are still under the control of Catholic Church since the days of Portugeuse. Catholic Church is a public supporter of LTTE. Attack on fishermen must be a creation of Catholic Church. Catholic priest involved in bank robberies in Jaffna. But Sri lankan government still afraid to point the finger at the catholic church. So, the crimes will continue.
January 25th, 2011 at 9:14 pm
Opening Indian consulates is not a crime but give some comfort to the travellers from SL to India. People from Hambantota or Jaffna dont need to come to Colombo to get VISA and spend money on hotels or on travel agents now.
Sri Lanka too have a consulate in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and Toronto, Canada. Why?
Jaffna and the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu are still under the control of Catholic Church since the days of Portugeuse. Catholic Church is a public supporter of LTTE. Attack on fishermen must be a creation of Catholic Church. Catholic priests involved in bank robberies in Jaffna. But Sri lankan government still afraid to point the finger at the catholic church. So, the crimes will continue.
January 26th, 2011 at 1:42 am
Remember the incident at the Gulf of Tonkin – how the Americans entered the Vietnam war by creating a bogus incident and that was the beginning of bombing North Vietnam and the Vietnam War. As we all know the rest is history.
In the end the one who precipitated all this the then Secretary of Defense Robert S McNamara said just four words “ it was a mistake”
This was after killing over 2 million Vietnamese and of their own 55,000 of their own.
India too may be looking for an adventure of this sort in the Palk Straits ably assisted by Tamil Nadu and remnant LTTE cadres. We are confident our Navy has little to do with these incidents.
Sri Lanka must meet the situation head on and with much diplomatic finesse. However this does not mean that we should not assert our authority on our land and in our territorial waters. Most importantly we must not show weakness to the accursed Indians! Indians must know that this could be beginning of the end of the Union of India and devastation of South Asia in an unimaginable scale.
In the end the Christian West will win. Let us not walk into the trap laid by the West and the Christian Church.
January 27th, 2011 at 12:17 pm
What do the Readers think of this news article in today LanakPage :
EXCLUSIVE, HEADLINE, INDIA, NATIONAL, NEWS
Tamil Nadu fishermen to seek asylum in Sri Lanka
January 26, 2011 – 8:48 pm By Ayyappa Prasad | Permalink | Print This Article |
Chennai, Jan 26 (TruthDive): Frustrated over Indian and Tamil Nadu governments inability to provide security to their lives, a group of fishermen are planning to go in boats and cross into the Sri Lankan maritime boundary to seek asylum.
In a desperate step to save their lives, about 500 fishermen from the village of Pushpavanam near Vedaranyam in Nagapattinam district have planned to seek asylum with the Sri Lankan government for their safety.
The move could severely embarrass the Union and State Governments. M Kathirvel – president of the village panchayat said though Indian Coast Guard has more superior vessels and firepower, they were just helpless in safe guarding their lives. “Since we don’t want to lead a life under constant fear of being killed or brutally attacked by Lankan Navy anytime while fishing in mid-sea, seeking asylum and continuing the fishing activities from the Lankan shores would only assure our food and more importantly the lives,” he added.
The fishermen are planning to cross over in 100 fibre boats in a week’s time.
The Sri Lankan government has refused its Navy personal were involved in the killings. Sri Lanka has promised to investigating into the incidents. Sri Lanka has said that Indian fishermen were welcome to fish in their territorial waters. The Indian Navy has taken the GPRS equipment’s in the boats to ascertain as to whether they had crossed into Lanka waters.
January 27th, 2011 at 8:22 pm
Other than main spy commission in Colombo now they have three. Indians have another spy center in Kandy and it’s labeled as hindu cultural center. Though some says consulates to facilitate visa for tamils I don’t understand why tamils want a visa to enter the tamil country (tamil nadu) in India. It is their country. Have they checked the visa when Prabakaran and his several thousands of terrorists freely entered to India by boats for military training in tamil country (tamil nadu) sponsored by Indira Gandhi and M. Karunanidhi?
Read Shenalli’s article “Speaking on the occasion, S. M. Krishna said “We are convinced that a meaningful devolution package, building upon the 13th Amendment, would create the necessary conditions for a lasting political settlement”,
Their aim is to do a political agenda. Is this a job of the consulate? I think this man violates the Vienna convention and Geneva conventions of Diplomatic ethics. What is his right to interfere to our internal matters?
Fisherman’s dilemma can be another work by Indian spy service. They had same scenarios even during 1983 onward. In modern day fishing trawlers are equipped with GPS, Radars to find out where they are sailing. They don’t have any right to come to Sri Lanka’s territory. It is naturally Jaffna fishermen’s get angry when Indians fishing in their sea. I agree with Jaffna fisherman’s right to chase Indian fishermen from their territory.
But Indians those who are worried in Palk Straight is totally different attitudes in Bengali boarder. Ref Brad Adams article in 24th January 2011.
“India’s Border Security Force (BSF), has carried out a shoot-to-kill policy — even on unarmed local villagers. The toll has been huge. Over the past 10 years Indian security forces have killed almost 1,000 people, mostly Bangladeshis, turning the border area into a south Asian killing fields. No one has been prosecuted for any of these killings, in spite of evidence in many cases that makes it clear the killings were in cold blood against unarmed and defenceless local residents. Ref 24th January 2011 Brad Adams of Peninsula Qatar”
January 28th, 2011 at 3:15 am
Catholic Church, Sebastian Seeman and Vai.Gopalasamy are now trying to invade Sri lanka through the FISHERMEN issue.
I hope the Catholic Church will welcome the Tamil Nadu fishermen when they arrive.
S.M.Krishna is the FM of the Indian government and he does his job but the job of the consulate is different. More than 100,000 Sri Lankan Tamils are still in India. So, his political concern is reasonable!