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Om Narayan Om Narayan …
by K. Godage
Formerly of SL Foreign Service
Courtesy The Island 02-06-2007
MK Narayanan, India’s National Security Advisor has stated that
we should not seek our requirements of weapons from China and Pakistan.
He has emphasized the point and reminded us that India is the regional
power, as a threat no doubt, going back to the bad old days when India
bullied us into submission. He goes on to make a meaningless statement
"Whatever maybe its requirements, the Sri Lanka government should
come to us, however (here comes the rub) India will not provide weapons
with offensive capabilities". Does the man want us to ask them
for catapults!
We are no doubt appreciative of the fact that the coalition government
in Delhi would fall if the DMK pulls out, but that is their problem,
we cannot be made to pay for their sins. We are also appreciative of
the fact that India has provided us two ships for Coastguard operations,
given us Radar equipment which unfortunately did not deliver the goods(
perhaps due to no fault of the Indians), they have trained our Service
personnel and have also provided us with valuable Intelligence, but
if they cannot provide us with the weapons we need to protect this country’s
territorial integrity, then we shall obtain the weapons we need elsewhere
and they have absolutely no right whatsoever to dictate to us as to
from where and whom we should obtain our weapons for our defence, so
long as those weapons systems pose no threat to India’s security.
It is absolutely high handed to even suggest such a thing.
India has, acted like the proverbial dog in the manger over the years,
she did not want us to enter into the Cross Servicing Agreement (ACSA)
signed by the United States and Sri Lanka on March 5, but she has not
only a civilian Nuclear Cooperation Agreement with the US but also Defence
Agreement entered into when Pranab Mukergee visited the US a few years
ago. India also engages in Joint Military exercises with the US, and
now, to cap it all, India is said to be intending to hold Joint Naval
exercises with the Chinese! They are indeed seeking to strengthen their
relations with China, which is good for us all. And here she is, telling
us or rather dictating to us that we should not seek to purchase our
defence requirements from Pakistan or China! Come off it Mr. Narayanan—enough
is enough.
There was a time when Indian hegemonists sought to use the stupid mismanagement
of our foreign relations (and relations particularly with India) to
‘Bhutanise’ this country and transform us into a vassal state
(read Prof. NS Krishnan on the subject). They almost succeeded through
the letters that were exchanged between Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi
and President Jayewardene as a part of the Indo-Lanka Agreement.
Had we not had the weapons, we needed for the defence of this country
particularly in 1995, when the Tiger was at the door and when, the good
man that he is, former High Commissioner Gopal Gandhi could only offer
us ships to evacuate our troops, this country would have been divided
and a separate state established – perhaps with India recognizing
Eelam. We owe a deep debt of gratitude to Pakistan and also the Czech
Republic, for had they not come to our aid then, as stated before, this
country would have been divided.
More recently when we invited India to join in ‘Joint Patrolling’
of the Palk Straits, to prove amongst other things, that our Navy was
not shooting Indian fishermen, they refused. Today, the Indian territory
is once again being used, in violation of the Indo-Lanka Agreement to
destabilize this country and what is the Indian government doing about
it? It appears that the Indian government finds utility in the continuance
of this conflict in Sri Lanka, if this was not true then it should step
in and assist in the preparation of meaningful constitutional proposals
that would pose no threat over the years to our territorial integrity,
unity and sovereignty and would ensure justice and equality for all
who inhabit this land. They should thereafter help us to put an end
to the insurgency and release the Tamil people from the clutches of
the fascist LTTE.
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