28 March, 2024

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India’s CHOGM Faux Pas!

By Sharmini Serasinghe

Sharmini Serasinghe

Sharmini Serasinghe

India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is being flogged mercilessly by the Indian Media – a symbol of how tall democracy stands in that country – over what is being dubbed as India’s ‘CHOGM Blunder’.

The Indian PM’s decision not to attend the summit in Colombo is being viewed as giving into the bullying tactics of Jayalalithaa’s Petticoat government. Just days before, Singh while addressing The Annual Conclave of Indian Ambassadors/High Commissioners abroad in New Delhi outlined what he believed to be the Five Core Principals of India’s development-centric Foreign Policy.

Of the five principals, the most relevant to Indo-Sri Lanka relations at this juncture would be the Fourth- “”we recognize that the Indian sub-continent’s shared destiny requires greater regional cooperation and connectivity. Towards this end, we must strengthen regional institutional capability and capacity and invest in connectivity.”

A few days later, he did a volte farce by opting not to attend CHOGM in Colombo! So what happened to his “investment in regional connectivity”? The unspoken message that was ultimately sent by the Indian PM was that he couldn’t give a damn about “regional connectivity” when his own political interests were at stake.

The Indian media is understandably having a field day berating their PM for placing petty domestic political interests before the country’s greater interest vis-à-vis Foreign Policy. Regional analyst Ankit Panda points out, that the CHOGM 2013 debacle “will be remembered as a political fumble in India’s regional relations”.

Meanwhile President Mahinda Rajapaksa delivering a strong message to the Commonwealth members in his inaugural address stated “We must also collectively guard against bilateral agendas being introduced into the organisation disrupting Commonwealth traditions and consensus. The strength of the organisation lies in keeping the member countries helping each other in a spirit of partnership making the Commonwealth truly unique”. This was obviously a snide reference to India.

Dr. Singh caught between the devil and the deep-blue-sea may have inadvertently strengthened Rajapaksa’s hand vis-à-vis the 13th Amendment.  He can now dilute it further or do away with it entirely.

One wonders if Rajapaksa in all his cunningness was secretly hoping that the Indian PM will keep away from CHOGM 2013!

The fallout of this whole issue will be India’s pet-concern; to ensure a fair deal for Sri Lanka’s Tamil community, ending up on the back-burner. After all it was the hard work put in by India that made the Northern Provincial Council elections a reality.

The worst off in this scenario is none other than the newly elected Chief Minister of the Northern Province C. V. Wigneswaran. He is now in a most unenviable position.

Meanwhile China must obviously be beaming with glee as it watches fragile Indo-Sri Lanka relations deteriorating even further!

*Sharmini Serasinghe was Director Communications of the former Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP) under Secretary Generals Dr. John Gooneratne and Jayantha Dhanapala. She counts over thirty years in journalism in both the print and electronic media.

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Latest comments

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    Harper, Manmohan Singh and Cameron understand the importance of survival, by winning the next election with the help of the Tamil Diaspora. When necessary, they are prepared to disregard national interests, to swing a couple of seats with the help of the Tamil Diaspora.

    As explained by Chris Nonis, each leader has domestic compulsions. As politicians they understand the importance of pandering to the unjust demands of the Tamil Diaspora, who continue to wage a proxy war against the government of Sri Lanka. They all believe that the end justifies the means.

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    “Dr. Singh caught between the devil and the deep-blue-sea may have inadvertently strengthened Rajapaksa’s hand vis-à-vis the 13th Amendment.”

    Most of these people are underestimating India. JR Jayawardena underestimated India and we all know its consequences. Have we forgotten all that or have we not learnt any lessons from that? Do you think the TN state govt. and the Indian central govt. took this decision without any discussions? As a regional power in South Asia, India is still very powerful and China will never interfere with India on behalf of Sri Lanka. China is only ripping Sri Lanka in the name of business and development and taking all our wealth. In case if India invades the North and East of Sri Lanka in the name of helping the Tamils (of course with the blessings of the west) do you think China will go for a war with India on behalf of Sri Lanka? On the other hand if India decides to support the UN for a referendum to create an independent state in Sri Lanka for the Tamils, who will stop them?

    Please do not mislead these confused people by coming up with moronic ideas. Think carefully before you write this kind of rubbish.

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      Mohammed, Your comment is not relevant. No one is playing a ‘China Card’ here, certainly not Sharmini Serasinghe. What she said was that China will be pleased by the deteriorating relations between India and Sri Lanka, for we all know that the geo-political reality is that the big powers are desperately clamouring to secure the world’s resources for themselves, mainly, U.S.,Europe, Russia, and China, now India, Brazil,and South Africa, and they are all competing against each other. What Sharmini Serasinghe implies in her article is that the Indian P.M. should have attended CHOGM and engaged Rajapaksa, instead of backing off and playing local politics.

  • 0
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    Please…This Sing is not an authoritative figure the least in his choice of language that he use to pitch anything. Nothing is missing.

  • 0
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    It is laughable that Sinhala Nationalist worry about India rather than their own country’s state. I am really sorry about Mahinda Rajapakse who fallen in the hands of cruel blood thirsty Sinhala Nationalist advisers. It is Pathetic that in his circle there is no Single human being is there to advise what is good and what is bad. They fed him with poisonous venum and greediness. Now it is who has to face the consequences and these racists including his brothers will leave him alone to face the reality. Now, what Sri Lanka achieved so far,
    Nothing other than failed status. How far you can go on hiding the truth? The wrong is wrong. Not all the blames go to Rajapakse. The crimes and inhumanity starts with DS Senanayake to continues with Rajapakse. When thousands of civilians were killed in the capital of Colombo in 1958 and 1983, there was no terror. There was a war. It is against Tamil people by Sinhalese. Can we deny or put the blame on LTTE?

    Think Think Think

    Find the truth?

    Don’t justify others for the mud in your shirt. Clean your shirt first and then look at the shirts of others.

  • 0
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    We found the shortcoming of an efficient foreign minister and we miss Kadirgamar very badly!

  • 0
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    Manomohan reminds me of a rickshaw puller of the 60’s goes where he is paid to go.India is nothing but a opportunistic whore.When we were friendly with the US and India was in bed with the Russians Indira resented it, and set the destabilisation of SL Her son followed her footsteps and both got their just desserts.We should not pay too much attention to these Indians as they are not our friends but keep our head held high and try to live by democratic principles. Mahinda has taken on a lot by being the chair of the commonwealth association, this might be a good thing for better governance.Iam told that warden De Saram appointed some thuggish students as prefects to reduce trouble and keep order.I hope in the end we can have a better outcome or amI dreaming?

  • 0
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    Overseas living LTTE – RUMP and SHAMINI SERASINGHE like people who are prostituting their abilities just for a few coins are DREAMING.

    • 0
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      Jim Sooty,

      Man did you see the Picture of British PM and Eelam CM on the Balcony. It was great man. It is a pitty MR couldnt stand on his feet.Must have fallen sick. Probably Morning Sickness it normally happens the night after grilling about War Crimes.

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    Sharmini Serasinghe,

    I had a lot of respect for you than I cared to admit but all that had gone after your Article and the following upsets me a great deal.

    1)India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is being flogged mercilessly by the Indian Media – a symbol of how tall democracy stands in that country – over what is being dubbed as India’s ‘CHOGM Blunder’.

    The Indian PM’s decision not to attend the summit in Colombo is being viewed as giving into the bullying tactics of Jayalalithaa’s Petticoat government. Just days before, Singh while addressing The Annual Conclave of Indian Ambassadors/High Commissioners abroad in New Delhi outlined what he believed to be the ‘Five Core Principals’ of India’s development-centric Foreign Policy.

    *** When you say the bullying tacticts of Jeyalalithas pettcoat Government I am begining to wonder whether you undestand the meanig of
    Dignity to a Women especially you being a Women.

    After reading your Article I only want to comment as follows.

    What you say above amounts to as follows:

    *** If your daughter/sister ( Our dearest Krishanthi Issaipriya and many more like them ) is Raped and killed by your neighbours Son ( Mahinthas Barbaric Soldiers ) you shouldnt upset your Neighbour ( Mahintha ) for fear of loosing connectivity.

    What you are saying is that Jeyalalitha shoud not have any feelings for her Sisters and should just simply ignore that for the sake of Connectivity.

    2) Singh had yet another option that he chose not to exercise. He could have had his cake and eaten it too had he included a visit to Jaffna as part of his trip to Sri Lanka for CHOGM. The Jaffna option could have placated domestic Tamil constituencies by reinforcing India’s commitment to Sri Lanka’s Tamil population in Jaffna. The Hindu, in an editorial expressing its dismay at the decision, argued that “A decision by Dr. Singh to go to CHOGM and include a visit to Jaffna would have been a powerful reaffirmation of New Delhi’s stakes and interests in the region.”

    *** Although I had a lot of Reservations about Mr.Cameron attending the CHOGM I am now satisfied that it has brought more benefits.

    Where as Manmohan Singhs attendance would have been the Icing on the Cake for MR. That is why he invited him personally by sending Peiris to invite and tried every trick in the book to bring him the Table but it failed.
    As it turned out it was a Total Disaster for MR as less than half the Heads of State turned up.

    In fututure may I ask before you write any Articles have some respect for our feelings about the Total Degradation of Dignity for Tamils under MR.

    • 0
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      What dignity for others when what you are looking for is some coins at the expense of one’s own dignity.

      • 0
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        Jim Sooty,

        Are you talking about the Loot by MR Gotha and their Cronies Karuna and Douglas.

      • 0
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        All those commenting here who have been wishing for Sharmini Serasinghe to drop dead (JimSofty in particular) will be thrilled to know that the writer is now lying critically ill in hospital.

        • 0
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          My God, what happened to her?

          • 0
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            Tadpole (゜゜)~ what happened to her? (゜゜)~ Tadpole

            Umbalakade sevala you are built upside down-

            running nose and smelly feet! Why Soo??

            Ö Ö Ö 0:3

        • 0
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          Is this true or is it somebody’s idea of a sick joke?

          • 0
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            This story is true.

            According to an fb post the writer was exposed to a concentrated dose of malathion during CMC’s mosquito fogging exercise. She developed a serious allergy and had to be hospitalized.

            Preliminary investigations reveal that a certain Jim Softy who’s employed by the CMC as a garbage collector was responsible for this.

  • 0
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    Presstitutes!

    They are howling and mourning their defeat trying to stop SL getting Commonwealth top post for the next 2 years.
    Apart from UK and Canada all other Commonwealth 51 countries will back SL up at the UN. In addition the Islamic countries always save SL. Together they have the majority.

    Tamils can start mourning again.

    • 0
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      Islamic countries will first behead sri lankan muslims like they do in saudi

    • 0
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      Fat” Mama ” Fuk U Shima,

      Man even you the Ultimate Racist must now aaccept defeat as CHOGM has gone horribly wrong for MR. He was humiliated and more to come and it is now almost certain that his final resting place is the HAGUE. Do you know where Gotha was during CHOGM. Was he hiding in the Tolet COWARD.

      Did you see the Picture of the Jaffna Kingdom where the CM & the PM were standing on the Balcony which I am sure would remind you of the Buckingham Palace Balcony.

      There is going to be more Humiliations. So fasten your seat belts.

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      who missed sogam (sadness)

      28/53 heads of Government

      No head of Government from:

      •Antigua
      •Sierra Leone
      •Canada
      •Mauritius
      •St Lucia
      •Malawi
      •Beli
      •Dominica
      •Jamaica
      •Cameroon
      •Kenya
      •Barbados
      •Mozambique
      •Trinidad and Tobago
      •St Vincent
      •Tuvalu
      •Uganda
      •India
      •Nigeria
      •Zambia
      •Ghana
      •Papua
      And no one at all from
      •Grenada
      •Kiribati
      •Maldives
      No one from Maldives is the biggest surprise

  • 0
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    What is Maneskeran from Madras on about?.

    How dare these Naduans call Ms Serasinghe stupid?.

    Are you upset that your Memorial to Mullivaikal was rolled by Mrs Gandhi?.

    • 0
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      What else do you say to Kavum kana Modayass who come up with stupid articles without knowing the power of India and TN???

    • 0
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      Tadpole(゜゜)~ call Ms Serasinghe stupid QQ ??.(゜゜)~ tadpole

      Sumane,

      There is nothing wrong in the exey baby she is great

      for peace time like music to the ears. :* :*

      Churchill for one was great just for the war not thereafter.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mx1IZnCrh78 “Breakfast At Tiffany’s” ;)

      angel O:-)

  • 0
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    Lady Gaga.What is in your stupid brain? If Maurituis did not want to waste money on a no-use CHOGM why did they offer to host the next Summit there? Doesn’t your lousy brain comprehend this?
    KK.

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