India steps up arms aid to Sri Lanka

Photo: Indian national security advisor M. K. Narayanan

(October, 15, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) India has stepped up arms supplies to Sri Lanka in a bid to aid the Sri Lankan government against the rising power of the LTTE, top level diplomatic sources said.

The latest example of such a move is the advanced automatic 40mm L70 anti-aircraft guns to guard against aerial attacks by the LTTE.

“India's recent shift from 'largely defensive' equipment to Sri Lanka, to 'offensive weapons', is due to the fact that the country does not want China or Pakistan to step into the vacuum,” the source told Sri Lanka Guardian.

An indication of this unease, in the Indian defense establishment, had come earlier this year when national security advisor M. K. Narayanan had publicly asked Sri Lanka to refrain from buying arms from China or Pakistan.

The remarks had created a furor in Sri Lanka, especially since Narayanan had added that India would not provide weapons with offensive capabilities to Sri Lanka.