{"id":109170,"date":"2020-11-29T16:59:23","date_gmt":"2020-11-29T23:59:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=109170"},"modified":"2020-11-29T16:59:23","modified_gmt":"2020-11-29T23:59:23","slug":"the-pohottuwa-government-of-sri-lanka-part-2-c7b-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2020\/11\/29\/the-pohottuwa-government-of-sri-lanka-part-2-c7b-2\/","title":{"rendered":"THE POHOTTUWA GOVERNMENT OF SRI LANKA Part 2 C7b"},"content":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

Today, the world is not interested in India\u2019s politics or India\u2019s\neconomy. The world is interested primarily in India\u2019s relations with other\ncountries. It is interested in the possibility of war in the Bay of Bengal with\nIndia helping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is because India has linked militarily with the war mongering\nUSA. India\u2019s initial hesitation in yoking itself to USA appears to have finally\ngone, said analysts.  After some hesitation, India has\ndecided to establish a military alliance with USA. India, a founding member of\nthe Non-Aligned Movement has now become an ally of the US, said critics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

US has established a military alliance with India, confirmed\nanalysts. India is now part of USA\u2019s Quadrilateral\nSecurity Dialogue, consisting of United States<\/a>, Japan<\/a>, Australia<\/a> and India<\/a>. The purpose\nof this US-India alliance is to contain China. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

India has signed four  military agreements<\/a>  with USA. The General Security of Military\nInformation Agreement (GSOMIA) was signed in 2002. The agreement enables the\nsharing of military intelligence between the two countries and requires each\ncountry to protect the others’ classified information. Thereafter, in 2010 USA   entered into a civilian nuclear program with\nIndia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 The second agreement, the\nLogistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), was signed on 29 August\n2016. The LEMOA permits the military of either country to use the others’ bases\nfor re-supplying or carrying out repairs. It allowed Indian and US navies to\nsupport each other in joint operations and exercises. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After LEMOA, US made India a “Major Defence Partner”, a\ndesignation that allowed India to buy advanced, sensitive technologies from America\nat the same level as other US allies and partners. In 2016, US supported India\nin its   surgical strikes on Pakistan\noccupied Kashmir  and  Joint US-India military exercises  took place near  the India- China border.  There was a trilateral joint military\nexercise involving Japan, US and India in 2016. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The US National Defence Authorization Act of 2017 further\nrecognized India as a major defence partner of the US.  In 2019 United States Senate passed legislation\nthat brought India onto the same level as NATO, Israel and South Korea for\ndefence cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The third agreement, Communications Compatibility and Security\nAgreement (COMCASA) was signed in September 2018. This allowed the Indian and\nUS navies to support each other in joint operations and exercises. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 The fourth agreement, the\nBasic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA), signed in 2020, permits the\nexchange of geospatial products between India and the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency<\/a> (NGA).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

BECA is a crucial agreement. \nIt permits the sharing of sensitive satellite and map data. This\nagreement will give India access to topographical, nautical and aeronautical\ndata vital for pinpointing attacks using missiles and armed drones. BECA   clears the path for India acquiring armed\ndrones and fighter aircraft. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

India has now completely integrated with the four-nation\nQuadrilateral Strategic Dialogue (QUAD) to monitor the Indian pacific region\u2019,\nsaid analysts. US had turned India into its proxy and India will now assume\nsome of the security functions carried out by US, said analysts . With this\nalliance, India has become one of the players in the current geo politics of\nthe Bay of Bengal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A US carrier strike group led by aircraft carrier USS Nimitz was\nset to conduct an exercise with Indian warships near the Andaman and Nicobar\narchipelago in July 2020  . Indian and\nJapanese warships  carried out a small\nexercise near the Malacca Strait in June 2020. \nIn November, all  four countries\nparticipated together for the first time \nin the Malabar exercises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2020 India has given a 100-million-dollar grant to fund the\nGreater Male Connectivity Project which is the largest ever such infrastructure\nproject undertaken in the Maldives  and a project loan of 400 million dollars for Cooperation\nin Sports and Youth Affairs. This is interpreted as part of the encircling plan\nof the Quad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is another angle to this. Critics note that Hillary Clinton visited Tamilnadu on her visit to India\nin 2009 and Kolkata in 2012. These cities are by the Bay of Bengal. Shenali Waduge\nsays it is possible that USA will encourage India to balkanize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

India\nhas always had \u2018great power \u2018dreams. However, a report by London School\nof Economics in 2012, concluded, that India is not\na superpower and will not become one in the future. It has too many weaknesses,\nsuch as poor leadership, extreme social divisions, poverty and religious\nextremism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 India now\nfinds itself dwarfed by China, a much bigger power with global ambitions. China has overtaken\nIndia in economic performance. The\nIndian economy is still one fifth of China and the defence budget is way below,\nsaid experts in 2017 and again in 2019. The Indian Navy is ahead at present,\nbut China is rapidly developing its naval power experts said in 2017.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

India is worried about China\u2019s\nentry into South Asia.  India is\nparticularly concerned about China\u2019s \u2018string of pearls\u2019 which is like a naval\nnecklace around India. India sees China everywhere, said an analyst in 2012.  China on the other hand, sees India as an\nunstable state with weak leadership, deep religious and linguistic divisions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Delhi must now accept a Chinese presence in many sectors\npreviously considered as India\u2019s exclusive domain said observers.    However,\nIndia is not prepared to accept a subservient role. That is why India has\ndecided to link with USA. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

China is now\npreparing for a border war with India. China does not recognize the McMahon\nline which divides China and India. \nChina and India have settled  their\nborder in the middle of this Line of Control but not at the two ends. China\nwants parts of Ladakh at the western end and the whole of Arunchal Pradesh at\nthe eastern end.  In June 2020, China\nseized control of Indian Territory in eastern Ladakh, with India opposing.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In November\n2020, China has   placed its military all\nalong the Line of Control, starting from Ladakh in the west, also Aksai Chin,\nKarakorum Pass, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakand, Sikkim and Arunchal Pradesh in\nthe east. There is a massive road\n\u2013communication-surveillance upgrade all along the LAC, with the potential of\nopening of other fronts, said observers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

China has\nestablished a logistical supply depot at Ladakh that can serve military needs\nup to Uttarakand. There is an electronic warfare unit at Arunchal Pradesh, with\njammers and satellites. There is\npatrolling of the skies at Aksai China and China has expanded its air bases in\nTibet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

India is trying to settle its disputes with China. China and India met at a summit in Chennai\nin October 2019.   This is the 19th\noccasion that they have met since Indian Prime Minister   Modi took office, said analysts. Some\nmeetings were informal visits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are\ntensions between India and Pakistan as well. Pakistan is angry. Pakistan says\nIndia   is strengthening its hold on\nJammu and Kashmir. The number of ceasefire violations on the Line of Control, between\nthe two countries at Jammu and Kashmir has increased significantly. Pakistan\nsays there have been 2,158 ceasefire violations by India as of September 2020. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

India has\nwithdrawn the special constitutional status accorded to Jammu, Kashmir and\nLadakh, and Pakistan announced plans to make the Pakistan administered section\nof Kashmir into a separate Province. Is the stage being set for a historic\nmilitary confrontation over Kashmir, asked analysts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 It will be a simple matter for Pakistani and\nChina to join hands in attacking India. Not only China, but  Pakistan too is a formidable military power. When\nthey do China will grab a chunk of northern India. Pakistan  will try to seize Kashmir \u201d as Indian troops\nwould be reduced to less than half the normal deployment  in Kashmir. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\npossibility of collusion between these two military adversaries of India, is\nhigh, said experts. If that happens then India \nfaces a two front war, which it cannot possibly win. There will be very little possibility of\nswitching troops and resources from one front to another in case of a war on\ntwo fronts,  said military experts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

India has not\nstayed still where military power was concerned. In 2017,India strengthened its\nnaval bases in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. About 3000 Indian soldiers trained\nin amphibious warfare were deployed there. The latest landing ships can carry\n10 armored vehicles, 11 armored personnel carriers and more than 500 troops,\nmedia reported in 2017.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2017 India launched the nuclear-capable Agni V missile,\nwith an expected range of over 5,000 kilometers. The missile achieved its objective\nand landed off Australian waters. All major cities of China are now within\nIndian missile range.  But Agni V is not\na surprise to China. India has been working on it for years.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

analysts say\nthat   India appears completely\nunprepared for a two-front conflict.  India\u2019s stocks of ammunition are below the\nminimum acceptable risk level\u201d which means 20 days of war fighting.  Some ammunition is not sufficient for even 10\ndays of intense  fighting said experts in\n2009 . <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fleet of\nthe Indian Air Force  is not large enough\n, either. The minimum strength necessary  for a two-front conflict  is  42\nsquadrons.   The Indian Air Force  has only 30 squadrons of fighter jets said\nexperts in 2020.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

India\u2019s air force planes are old models. In 2019, India sent war\nplanes over Pakistan- controlled Kashmir, and dropped bombs onto Balakot .India\u2019s  a Soviet-era\nMiG-21was easily shot down<\/a> by the\nPakistan Air Force\u2019s F-16 and the pilot taken captive. India has bought4.5-generation\nFrench Rafale. The air force will have a total of 36  Rafale by 2022. These planes will face China\u2019s\nindigenous fifth generation fighter, the J-20. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

India has  managed to clash with all of its neighbors, at\none time  or another..India  annexed Sikkim using political cunning  and the use of RAW. Sikkim is starting to\nquestion. Nepal has  recently   enlarged its territory by taking over land form\nthe India side without consulting India. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When\nBhutanese Prime Minister  Jigme Thinley\nmet the Chinese Prime Minister , Wen Jiabao, in 2012 at the United\nNations Conference on Sustainable Development at Rio, India got angry.\nIndia retaliated by withdrawing fuel subsidies to Bhutan. New Delhi\u2019s\nheavy-handed response was deeply resented by Bhutan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

India said in 2009  that Sri Lanka  must realize that India is the big power in\nthe region and it should stop going to Pakistan and China to get arms. We are\nprepared to accommodate Sri Lanka within the framework of our foreign policy.  India supporters in Sri Lanka have tried to create\nsubservience to India. Finland is careful not to antagonize its neighbor Russia.\nWe must also follow a policy of Finlandization and not antagonize our big\nneighbor India, they said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However,\nSri Lankan public is openly anti-India. They have not forgotten the Parippu\ndrop. They say that India has forfeited the respect and confidence of Sri\nLanka. Relations between India and Sri Lanka should be based on mutual respect,\nnot superiority.  One side should not be\nin a perpetual state of superior bargaining power, Sri Lanka said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

India  realized  then that  imposing pressure from above will not work,\nwith Sri Lanka. India now wants to develop its relationship with Sri Lanka on a\none to one basis; with mutual respect and open hands, respecting the\nsovereignty and dignity of the two countries \nsaid India in 2017. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, in\n2020, Sri Lanka has cordial relations with India. President  Gotabaya Rajapaksa\u2019s first official visit abroad\nwas to India. However, India objects to China\u2019 presence in Sri Lanka  specially \nHambantota and Colombo.  Land in\nthe Colombo Port City was given to China on a 99 year lease, which is a long time,\nIndia complained. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sri Lanka\nexplained that  In  2009 Sri Lanka needed money for its\ndevelopment plans. The amount far exceeded what India alone could do. The only\ncountry that came forward was China.It\nwasn\u2019t a foreign policy shift but an economic necessity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2020 Sri\nLanka  has made three  requests to India for a postponement of its\ndebt repayment, a debt moratorium and for a currency swap facility. The Reserve\nBank of India signed a $400 million swap agreement with Sri Lanka in July, to\nhelp boost Sri Lanka\u2019s foreign reserves, and is perusing a further $1 billion\nrequested by Sri Lanka.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But New Delhi\nhas not responded to  the request for a\ndebt moratorium. Sri Lanka owes $ 960 million to India. It is now more than\nfour months after the request was made no decision has been taken, the media\nobserved in August, 2020. The swift assistance to the Maldives and the delay in\nresponding to our request may  be a\nmessage to Sri Lanka , critics   said.\nBut it shouldn\u2019t then be a surprise if Sri Lanka seeks reprieve from China,\nthey warned. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

India has\nestablished  sound  military relations with Sri Lanka . The\nmaiden overseas port call of INS Vikramaditya, India\u2019s aircraft carrier, also\nIndia\u2019s newest and largest ship was made to Sri Lanka In January, 2016.  Sri Lankan President Maitripala Sirisena was\nthe first foreign head of State onboard the ship. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

India  extended a defence Line of Credit to Sri\nLanka for US$ 100 million to procure variety of defence equipment and supplies\nin 2017. India also gave  two Offshore\nPatrol Vessels. India provided large\nnumber of training slots to Sri Lankan military and security personnel in 2017.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sri Lanka\nNavy  has for many years,  had  a bilateral\nmaritime exercise with India.  SLINEX-20\nwas conducted off Trincomalee in October 2020, for the eighth year. The\nprevious edition of SLINEX was conducted off Visakhapatnam in September\n2019.The Sri Lanka Navy was represented by SLN Ships Sayura (Offshore Patrol\nVessel) and Gajabahu (Training Ship) as well as the locally built ASW corvettes\nKamorta and Kiltan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

SLINEX-20\naimed at enhancing inter-operability, improving mutual understanding and\nexchanging best practices and procedures for multi-faceted maritime operations\nbetween both navies. In addition, the exercise showcased capabilities of our locally\nconstructed naval ships and aircraft. Surface and anti-air exercises including\nweapon firing, seamanship evolutions, maneuvers and cross deck flying\noperations  were included in the exercise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

SLINEX exercises helped when the two navies went to the rescue of MT\nNew Diamond, a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC), which had caught fire off the\nEast Coast of Sri Lanka. The exercise was conducted in a non-contact\n\u2018at-sea-only\u2019 format in the backdrop of COVID-19 pandemic.(Continued) <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS Today, the world is not interested in India\u2019s politics or India\u2019s economy. The world is interested primarily in India\u2019s relations with other countries. It is interested in the possibility of war in the Bay of Bengal with India helping. That is because India has linked militarily with the war mongering USA. India\u2019s initial […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[104],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-109170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kamalika-pieris"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109170"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109170\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}