( December 20,
2012, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Indian Army Chief, General Bikram Singh,
is in the island on a three-day-visit, to strengthen defence relations between
the two countries. It is noteworthy that the visit takes place nearly two
months after another significant defence officer, the Chinese Defence Chief,
arrived in the island for high level talks.
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Some Indian political analysts have warned that if India stops providing training for Lankan military personnel, the Sri Lankan Government would seek assistance from China and the move would endanger India's regional security, as this would allow China to make Sri Lanka a hub to stabilize its regional interest.
It is no secret
that the two regional superpowers have vested interest in Sri Lanka, having
contributed significantly to defeating the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE) and ending a 30-year war that near depleted the country of its
resources, and exacted a heavy toll in terms of lives lost.
India even went
to the extent of deploying its Security Forces in Sri Lanka, who arrived in the
guise of peace keepers and stayed on for two years from 1987 to 1989, until
they were literally kicked out by then President Ranasinghe Premadasa. During
this period many of the 'Jawans' tasked with defeating the LTTE lost their
lives, but India walked away with a signed Indo-Lanka peace accord.
Though the
Indian attempt to defeat the LTTE and usher in peace to the beleaguered North
and East went awry, the initiative paved way for Sri Lanka to realize the
importance of devolving powers regionally.
By virtue of
being our immediate neighbour, India has always been the first to respond when
Sri Lanka faced problems, be it man made insurgencies or natural calamities.
This response was evidenced, when for the first time since the withdrawal of
the Indian Peace Keeping Forces (IPKF) in 1989, Indian troops came to Sri Lanka
to assist the flood victims in the Sabragamuwa Province, a couple or more years
ago.
However, in
recent months the Indian defence sector has come under heavy flak especially in
Tamil Nadu, for providing training facilities for Lankan security personnel.
Not so long ago, the State of Tamil Nadu demanded that the Indian Central
Government cancel all training provided to Lankan armed forces personnel. The
State Government even succeeded in stopping the training provided for Lankan
personnel in its military installations.
Tamil Nadu's
opposition to the training programmes notwithstanding, the Indian Government
has maintained that its military training for Lankan Defence personnel would
continue without any hindrance. And this stance was reiterated in the Lok Sabha
recently.
Some Indian
political analysts have warned that if India stops providing training for
Lankan military personnel, the Sri Lankan Government would seek assistance from
China and the move would endanger India's regional security, as this would
allow China to make Sri Lanka a hub to stabilize its regional interest.
It is no secret
that both regional superpowers are putting a lot of effort into being in the
good books of Sri Lanka, in order to stabilize their regional security.
However, Sri Lanka's relations with Indian have of recent not been as cordial
as its relations with China.
A disconcerting
thorn cropping up ever so frequently, especially since the end of the war, is
the encroachment of Indian fishermen into the Northern waters. This issue is
compounded by the situation in Tamil Nadu, where the South Indians continue to
agitate over the plight of the Tamils in Jaffna, even as warnings have surfaced
over possibilities of the LTTE regrouping again in Tamil Nadu.
During his stay
in Sri Lanka, Gen. Singh, who would have been midway through his military
career during the IPKF presence in Sri Lanka will also pay tribute to his
countrymen at the monument erected in Colombo, in memory of their sacrifice for
the cause of peace.
In a broader
context, Gen. Singh's visit to Sri Lanka is significant in many ways, not only
with regard to regional security, but also in helping overcoming the many
'hiccups' that have made the Indo-Lanka relations a rough ride, especially in
terms of training Lankan military personnel in India and the fishermen's
disputes in the Northern waters.
India's focus
may at present be in stabilizing its region security in Sri Lanka. But as far
as Sri Lanka is concerned, India is an important ally geographically, compared
to other countries in the region, and Gen. Bikram Singh's visit paves the way
to further cement the relations between the two countries.
(Ceylon Today)
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