{"id":58971,"date":"2016-09-21T21:08:27","date_gmt":"2016-09-22T03:08:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=58971"},"modified":"2016-09-21T10:08:31","modified_gmt":"2016-09-21T17:08:31","slug":"who-is-sri-lankas-bigger-threat-the-west-or-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2016\/09\/21\/who-is-sri-lankas-bigger-threat-the-west-or-india\/","title":{"rendered":"Who is Sri Lanka\u2019s bigger threat? The West or India?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0<\/span><\/b>Shenali D Waduge<\/span><\/b><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At some point or the other we need to ask ourselves this question and answer it as well. While as a nation Sri Lanka must have cordial relations with all nations of the world, Sri Lanka\u2019s leaders and the general public must also be aware of ground realities and be conscious about the ties we maintain even at diplomatic levels. Maintaining relationships is one thing but a sovereign nation cannot because of its size agree to Indian cultural, religious, economic and even political imperialism as is taking place very covertly. All those conscious of Sri Lanka\u2019s sovereignty, the future of Buddhism, the continuation of the demography are concerned about India and the Indianization of Sri Lanka.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>India has a historical quest of wanting to devour Sri Lanka \u2013 17 times we have been invaded and that quest has not ended. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Three colonial powers did occupy our country but none of these countries populated our nation with Portuguese, Dutch or even British. The Burghers that sprung eventually took sail and most now live in Australia and only a handful of Burghers live in Sri Lanka. However India has been covertly sending illegal immigrants into Sri Lanka as a ploy to increase Tamil numbers and thus create demographic change. We can see that taking place throughout the LTTE reign which is why we cannot make head or tail of the LTTE dead as against the Tamils who have died and the Tamils born as per national records and other country statistics. We do not know how many illegal Tamils live in Sri Lanka or have any clue how many of these illegal Tamils are posing as Sri Lankan Tamils.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>It was not the West that started armed militancy in Sri Lanka but India taking unemployed Sri Lankan Tamil youth to train them in secret locations throughout Tamil Nadu and then putting them under the stewardship of Indian intelligence to destabalize Sri Lanka. India holds accountability for terrorism in Sri Lanka, training, arming and funding the LTTE and scores of other militant groups as well as training civilians in armed combat when the IPKF landed in Sri Lanka with a long term plan to set up shop in the North by using EPRLF head Varatharaja Perumal after bumping off LTTE leader Prabakaran. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>It was India\u2019s long term intent to devour Sri Lanka that helped draft the Indo-Lanka Accord of 1987 and the subsequent 13th<\/sup> amendment, clauses in which serve the interests of India \u2013 in particular the amalgamation of the north and the east manipulating the bogus homeland myth which India is using to make inroads into Sri Lanka by fooling the Tamil Nadu politicians, the Tamils of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan Government carrying the slogan \u2018we are concerned for Tamils\u2019. The real intent of India\u2019s is to take every strategic area of the North and East where the strategic port Trincomalee harbour is located. The benefit of the North is the eventual amalgamation of the narrowest point that connects the two countries so that Sri Lanka becomes virtually an annexation of India. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>India manipulates the South politicians to make demands on India so in turn India projects that it has to defend its state and the wishes of the Tamil Nadu people by diplomatic arm twisting of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka\u2019s policy makers have never taken advantage of the fact that Tamil Nadu is just one state out of India\u2019s 29 states and the more important fact that the North Indians hate the South Indians and vice versa. We have never appealed to the North against the manner Tamil Nadu celluloid politicians make a ruckus instead of looking after the needs of their state before interfering into the internal affairs of a sovereign nation. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Look at the Indian proposals closely and connect the ramifications of these \u2013 open ferry service, road, rail link from India to Sri Lanka, no visa for Indian arrivals, free trade pacts that India uses to repack in Sri Lanka and make use of trade concessions to cheaply import to India from Sri Lanka, the global narcotic ring for which LTTE has been making profits from, illegal immigrants from South India, now Indians are living not only in the North, East, but in the Central plains as well as other parts of Sri Lanka. Indians manipulating tourist visas and working and then returning before the end of their visa and then returning back (money is freely flowing out of the country) <\/span>http:\/\/www.dailymirror.lk\/24755\/indian-tourists-doing-business-in-jaffna-<\/span><\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Indian taking key strategic economic foothold \u2013 oil, petroleum(Indian Oil), energy (calls for electricity supply from India), the ambulance service, Indian doctors, Indian IT opening up, ETCA agreement will have a flow of Indian cheap labor and the lethargy of Sri Lankan officials does not give any confidence that we can handle this influx \u2013 once gates are opened we will never be able to close it!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>India has mission offices in North, Colombo and even Hambantota <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Indian celluloid industry is penetrating into hindianizing the Sri Lankan populace with Hindi films and hindi tv programs which are taking the bulk of prime time shows on all the channels.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>India is now claiming Sinhalese descended from India \u2013 deported Vijaya was not Sinhalese, he did not speak Sinhalese and there are no Sinhalese in India nor a language called Sinhalese. Sinhale (Hela) ethnic group evolved in the island nation of Sinhale. The country was known in ancient times as heladiva and the people as helaya. It was the 4 tribes of ‘Yaksha’, ‘Raksha’, ‘Naga’ and ‘Deva’ who made up the Sivu-hela which later became Sinhale. There was a civilization existing before Vijaya and 700men arrived. If there had been people living in Sri Lanka who were known as the Sivu-hela, a name which later became Sinhale, how can the Sinhalese descend from Vijaya? <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Moreover, India cannot be claiming any right hood because what is called India today is British created India in 1947. Prior to that all states were independent princely kingdoms all of which the British cobbled together to make one administrative unit for their own advantage. So the histories of these British-created-India are independent and have any sense of \u2018united\u2019 only after 1947. Buddha was never born in India (there was no India at the time), Buddha was born in what is today Nepal).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>India is also trying to manipulate Buddhism to its own advantage globally though not looking after the interests of even the Indian Buddhists who are 8million. In 2001 Karnataka had 3.93lakh Buddhists but in 2011 that figure has dropped to just 95,710. Most of India\u2019s Buddhists are Dalits. Again an area that Sri Lanka\u2019s policy makers have not tapped into. India manipulates association with Dalai Lama to prick China though most in Sri Lanka have no real acceptance of the Dalai Lama who carries a more multi-faith\/multicultural image as he has never defended any incident of violence or incursion against Buddhists by Islam\/Christian forces. Therefore Dalai Lama has no credibility as a Buddhist leader standing for Buddhist rights. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Another example of India manipulating Buddhism is in allowing mosques to emerge in close proximity to the sacred Buddhagaya temple where the azan is disturbing the Buddhist priests and people\u2019s meditation. There are countless other incidents of Buddhists & Buddhist priests being attacked and lukewarm reaction by the Indian state authorities. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Another example of India trying to take over Buddhism is the manner India is handing over Nalanda University Chairmanship to a Hindu – Amartya Sen married to a member of the Rothschild banking family, the Chancellor is a Roman Catholic former Singapore politician, the governing board comprises Meghnad Jagdishchandra Desai who is an atheist. The authenticity of this blog is questionable but it goes to show that there are discrepancies at play – <\/span><\/span>https:\/\/nalandatruth.blogspot.com\/<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>India has also influenced the current President to give land deeds to the 200,000 Indian Tamil estate workers when they are Indian origin brought to the country for profit making by the British. If at all the British should be giving looking after their interests. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Using the ruse of Indian tourists the Indians are now using Sri Lanka to create a mythical Ramanaya trail and thus getting a foothold in Sri Lanka.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Bandu de Silva also brings out the twinning of the Ramayana project with the Tamil homeland myth which India planted into the system via the Indo-Lanka Accord and 13th<\/sup> amendment. Bandu de Silva also brings out the projection of Ravana as a Tamil king all of which combined gives India a supposed \u2018historical stake\u2019 in Sri Lanka \u2013 all part of Indian cultural imperialism <\/span>http:\/\/www.royalasiaticsociety.lk\/http:\/www.royalasiaticsociety.lk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/10-Bandu1.pdf<\/span><\/a> (please read Mr. de Silva\u2019s presentation)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Indian influence in Tamil newspapers have virtually turned Tamils into pro-India thinking instead of thinking as a citizen of sovereign Sri Lanka. oldest and the highest selling Tamil daily Virakesari is owned by the Express Newspapers Ltd while the second highest selling Tamil daily, Thinakkural is owned by leading food stuff importer from India S. P. Samy<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>In a bid to influence the most sacred Temple of the Tooth at Dalada Maligawa \u2013 India has signed to establish a training school inside the Dalada Maligawa (Training what – to facilitate training courses in areas like Kandyan dance and drums; costumes, ornaments and musical instruments , lacquer painting , preservation of ancient paintings and frescos, mahout training and sculpture making \u2013 but these are all indigenous to Sri Lanka, what it is going to mean is that the Indians are going to Indianize all the historical texts and claim all the arts that evolved in Sri Lanka has Indian origins \u2013 this is what India is planning to do!)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Its good to look at the Indian projects in Sri Lanka most of which have been in the North.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Over 50% of Indian investments in SAARC countries are located in Sri Lanka<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>In 2008, foreign direct investment to Sri Lanka was $889m & $126m came from India.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>In 1990 there was only 12 Indian projects with a total investment of LKR 177 million – today there are over 100 Indian companies doing business legally in Sri Lanka<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Renovation of Palali airport and intention to start flights from Tamil Nadu to Palaly (we will not know who flies in and who flies out)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Atchchuveli Industrial zone inaugurated in 2014<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>An \u2018Indian Corner\u2019 at the Jaffna public library in 2015 (for what!!!)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>200 bed ward complex at Vavuniya hospital \u2013 it would have been nicer if India had looked after its own people first. Not even one hospital bed per thousand people in India http:\/\/www.healthcareathomeindia.com\/blog\/not-even-one-hospital-bed-thousand-people-india-healthcare-home-model-answer<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Ambulance service \u2013 while in India an Indian is forced to carry his dead wife home after hospital refuses transport. <\/span>https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2016\/aug\/26\/indian-man-carry-dead-body-wife-home-hospital-refuses-help<\/span><\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>10,250 houses built in 2013 in Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Mannar, Jaffna, Vavuniya<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Northern Railway (Yal Devi)\u2013 Medawachchiya to Mannar \/ Omanthai to Kilinochchi \/ Kilinochchi to Palai \/ Palai to Jaffna \/ Mannar to Talaimannar<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Skills development centre \u2013 Kilinochchi campus in 2015<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>English laboratories in all 9 provinces of Sri Lanka \u2013 India\u2019s population is 1.252billion of which 125million speaks English.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Setting up Faculty of Agriculture, Faculty of Engineering in Jaffna university<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Renovation of Duraiappa Stadium \u2013 ironically Alfred Duraiappah was killed by Prabakaran trained by India!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Renovation of Thiruketheeswaram temple in Mannar<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Construction of cultural centre in Jaffna (Indianizing Sri Lanka\u2019s North)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Supply of fishing boats and nets to people of North \u2013 In the meanwhile Indian fishermen are stealing Sri Lanka\u2019s fish and India is making profits! <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>110 buses to educational institute\u2019s island wide -1million children in India don\u2019t go to school!<\/span><\/p>\n

The attempt to forge another detrimental trade pact involving the provision to allow Indians to live and work in Sri Lanka (ETCA) has come under much opposition by all forces. The Indian High Commissioners response drew public attention and brought back days of Viceroy Dixit. <\/span>http:\/\/www.island.lk\/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=141458<\/span><\/a> \u00a0\/ <\/span>http:\/\/www.island.lk\/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=141584<\/span><\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

India cannot be surprised at the lukewarm reception by Sri Lankans towards India. No friend takes youth and trains them secretly in armed warfare and sends them back with instructions to destabalize the country. For 30 years Sri Lanka lost lives, lost property and lost the ability to develop itself socially, economically and even politically. People lived in fear, children were traumatized, Tamil low caste were the only segment of people who suffered because of the LTTE \u2013 a cost cannot be put to the suffering but India has yet to acknowledge, apologize or compensate for this crime. This distrust will always be in the minds of the people of Sri Lanka which is not reducing because India allows and watches and takes advantage of the tantrums of the Tamil Nadu politicians as if it is all choreographed by the Indian Centre. Not stopping there, the people are not fools to notice how India is taking advantage of the weakness of our appeasing politicians and armtwisting them to secure strategic areas of geopolitical interest as well as using the IDP factor to remove military bases and place poor IDPs with future intent of acquiring these areas. India does nothing about the calls from India-nominated Wigneswaran who was parachuted from Colombo to Jaffna to win the Provincial Council election and after living over 70 years in Colombo is preaching about \u2018my people\u2019. All these actions and more have the \u2018Made in India via RAW\u2019 seal across it and that is why India should realize that Sri Lankans will always distrust India and will never consider India as a friend. This is nothing India should be surprised about as all of India\u2019s other neighbors share the same reasons for their antagonism against India as well. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The most baffling thing is that those who benefit and live off Buddhism are abdicating these privileges into enemy hands.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/b>Shenali D Waduge<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>http:\/\/www.sundayobserver.lk\/2003\/03\/30\/fea08.html<\/span><\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Shenali D Waduge \u00a0 At some point or the other we need to ask ourselves this question and answer it as well. While as a nation Sri Lanka must have cordial relations with all nations of the world, Sri Lanka\u2019s leaders and the general public must also be aware of ground realities and be conscious […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-shenali-waduge"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58971","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=58971"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58971\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58971"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58971"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}