28 March, 2024

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New Indian Avatar Pleads For Chinese Understanding Of Her Sovereignty

By Rajeewa Jayaweera

Rajeewa Jayaweera

The Raisina Dialogue is a joint initiative by the Government of India and the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), an independent think tank based in New Delhi. India has strived to organize the conference in the lines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. It is designed to be India’s primary conference on geo-politics and geo-economics.

Its inaugural edition was held in March 2016 and was inaugurated by Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj. The theme was ‘Connecting Asia’. The second edition, with participants from 69 countries was concluded last week in Delhi and the theme was “The New Normal: Multilateralism with Multi-Polarity”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the second edition.

Being an Indian initiative, discussions over two and half days laid emphasis on the issue if today’s world was a multi-polar world and if India was one of the poles of the world. Three dominant questions which arose were;

  • India’s capability of being a pole
  • India’s readiness to be a pole
  • India’s right to be a pole

A pole may be one or a group of countries with a group leader and other countries aligned behind the group leader. Therefore, it may be argued, a multi-polar world is one with several group leaders who obviously would be economically and militarily powerful with the remaining not so powerful and powerless countries aligned behind one of the several group leaders.
Until January 20, it was a given, the block leaders were US and Russia with China a group leader in waiting. Not to be forgotten are the sub group leaders Britain and France who still wield influence over former colonies. France and some of its former African colonies is a good example. India, judging by its conduct towards it neighbors since 1970 has been striving hard to portray the image of a sub group leader, which it now wishes to expand to that of a block leader.

The keynote speaker at the 2017 edition was India’s Foreign Secretary, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. Some parts of his address are best described as perfidious, at least from a Sri Lankan perspective. There could be similar perspectives notably from Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan to name a few.

The Foreign Secretary requested China to be “sensitive to its sovereignty” and not to see India’s rise as a threat to China. Claiming China has till now, not shown any consideration for India’s sovereignty, he further stated, “China is a country which is very sensitive on matters concerning its sovereignty. So, we would expect that they would have some understanding of other people’s sensitivity on their sovereignty.” According to Jaishankar, ties between China and India, developed through trade and people-to-people contacts have been diminished due to differences on political issues. Describing terrorism as a “pervasive and serious” threat to global security, the Foreign Secretary lamented of the deficit in efforts by major powers in dealing with terrorism. He also referred to the decision making body of the UN as an ‘absurdity’ and touched on the need to reform the world body to enable the organization to deal with contentious issues confronting the world today. India’s quest for a permanent seat at the Security Council could not have been far away in the Foreign Secretary’s mind. Referring to the regional grouping SAARC, he stated, “Regional groupings are today one of the building blocks of the global order. Their driving force and commonality are perhaps the most obvious of all. India is a founder member of SAARC, an organization that has been made ineffective due to insecurity of one member. We hope to partially remedy this through the BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal) sub-regional grouping. It is also our expectation that the current level of enthusiasm among members of BIMSTEC (Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan, Nepal) can be channeled towards far reaching initiatives.”

It is believed, a move is being promoted by a group of persons in the Indian establishment to jettison Pakistan from the SAARC regional group due to objections raised by Pakistan to some Indian initiatives. It has also been reported of moves to isolate and ignore Pakistan. The theory may have some substance in view of comments during interviews given by a Maldivian Minister and Nepalese Ambassador to India during the Raisina Dialouge to an India journalist. It may be recalled, the last SAARC summit scheduled to be held in Islamabad in 2016 was cancelled due to India pulling out from the summit, citing Pakistan’s involvement in terror attacks in India.

Some of the statements by Foreign Secretary Jaishankar need to be examined with special emphasis on India’s conduct towards Sri Lanka during the past 36 years. It is not only China that needs to be sensitive to India’s sovereignty. India too needs to be sensitive to the sovereignty of other nations, especially Sri Lanka and other neighboring countries. At the Raisina Dialouge, ‘Born Again’ India in its new Avatar has completely overlooked India’s involvement in nurturing, training, arming and providing safe havens to LTTE terrorists for decades. Support reduced but did not cease completely even after the assassination of one of India’s former Prime Ministers in 1991. Compelling Sri Lanka to call off the successful Vadamarachchi campaign which would have finished off the LTTE group, under threat of an Indian invasion was a violation of Sri Lanka’s sovereignty in every sense of the word. The forced air drop of food supplies by India transporters accompanied by Indian Air Force Mirage fighter jets, after informing Sri Lanka of dire consequences in case she attempted to intervene with the air drop, was a violation of Sri Lanka’s sovereignty in every sense of the word. Even as the Indian Foreign Secretary was pleading for Chinese sensitivity to India’s sovereignty, South Indian fishing trawlers were poaching in Sri Lankan waters with impunity, using destructive methods such as bottom trawling banned the world over, with total disregard of Sri Lanka’s sovereignty. No attempts are made by Indian the Coast Guard to keep Indian fishing trawlers in Indian waters. Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan government, has ordered its navy to muffle its cannon and prohibited firing at poaching Indian fishing trawlers even as a warning, as demanded by India. It is such a country that pleads with the Chinese to be “sensitive to its sovereignty”

India, whilst expecting China to play by the rules when dealing with her, regularly plays with the rules when dealing with powerless countries such as Sri Lanka.

Regional groupings, despite being building blocks of the global order till recently, can no longer be taken for granted. Cracks in such groupings have begun to emerge with Brexit, the advent of the Trump presidency and American withdrawal from Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). More clarity could be expected once national elections have been concluded in the Netherlands, France and Germany later in 2017. Regional groupings could also pose a serious threat to less powerful and powerless countries. They are at the mercy of the diktats of Regional groupings. This point was highlighted recently by the conditions stipulated by the European Union for the restoration of GSP+ facility to Sri Lanka.

A few lines need be devoted to the second SAARC summit held in Bengaluru, India in November 1986. In view of India’s involvement with the LTTE terrorists, the then President of Sri Lanka initially decided to boycott the summit. However, in view of appeals by other members, he agreed to attend. The original plan was to raise India’s involvement with LTTE terrorists during the summit. India promptly blocked the move on the basis, it was a bi-lateral issue whereas SAARC was a forum for multi-lateral issues, and therefore it’s involvement with LTTE terrorists could not be raised. India’s act needs to be understood in the context of Indian supported terrorism in Sri Lanka being a bi-lateral issue unsuitable for discussion during a SAARC summit. However, terrorism in India, rightly or wrongly attributed to Pakistan which too by Indian definition is a bi-lateral issue prevented India from fielding a delegation to the SAARC summit a few months ago, leading to its indefinite postponement.

The move to jettison Pakistan from SAARC, if correct, needs to be resisted by right thinking member -states, especially Sri Lanka. SAARC is an example of the Raisina Dialogue theme of a multi-polar world. India with its economic and military power considers itself the group leader within the SAARC community and its pole. She would like the remaining member states to be aligned behind her. Being a nuclear power. Pakistan is the only member state in a position to withstand Indian pressure and maintain some kind of balance of power within SAARC.

Even though the present Sri Lankan government tends to under value the role played by Pakistan during thirty years of terrorism, the unwavering, unstinted and unconditional support extended by Pakistan during the LTTE insurrection helped Sri Lanka in no small measure to maintain its unitary status. Pakistan was the first nation to supply urgently needed Multi Barrel Rocket Launchers (MBRL) from its own stocks with payment to be made later thus preventing the fall of Jaffna in May 2000. It would be an ungrateful and unforgivable act on the part of Sri Lanka to remain silent in the event of an Indian project to jettison Pakistan from the SAARC community.

To conclude, despite deliberations at the Raisina Dialogue, India besides UK, France, Germany and EU as a block of nations would do well to take heed of a particular part in President Donald Trump’s inaugural address which stated “We will seek friendship and goodwill with the nations of the world – but we do so with the understanding that it is the right of all nations to put their own interests first. We do not seek to impose our way of life on any one, but rather to let it shine as an example for everyone to follow”.

 

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Latest comments

  • 3
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    But what about a Pole’s right to be an Indian?

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      [Edited out] Comments should not exceed 300 words.Please read our Comments Policy for further details.

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    In the modern world, except for a few powerful countries, sovereignty is relative to issues of other countries. Sovereignty of Srilanka is dependent on security concerns of India. JR and Premadasa learnt it in a hard way, Chandrika never attempted to challenge it and Mahinda tried it and had to pay the consequence of being deposed from power.

    Talk of China and Pakistan helping Srilanka in the war with LTTE to maintain territorial integrity is nonsense, because it is India which will determine whether Srilanka should remain united or divided. If and when India decides to divide Srilanka, no one could do anything about it. So be indebted to India for that without attacking them.

    When you talk about India not understanding of Srilanka’s sovereignty, you must realize that it is the same thing that Tamils are saying that Sinhalese are not understanding of their sovereignty of their homeland which was forcibly taken away from them by colonial powers, which the Sinhalese are steadfastly not prepared even to acknowledge.

    Recent invasion of Senegalese troops into Gambia is a good warning to these ostriches who are unable to grasp global trends. India is in this sorry plight due to its cockeyed foreign policy on Srilanka which is framed by North Indian racists and corrupt Keralites. It is time India shows the stick and bring Srilanka down under their control.

    • 2
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      LOL

  • 5
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    Dr Sankaralingam

    It is indeed sad to note you seem to be lost in the wilderness between sovereignty of a State and the right to self-determination of a minority community within a unified country.

    The need for Sri Lanka to be sensitive to India’s security concerns is a given. Nobody disputes the fact. That said, it in no way gives the right for India to meddle with other Sri Lankan affairs. Ditto for other big and powerful countries in their dealings with smaller neighbors.

    It is time the Tamil community dropped the claim of ‘Tamil Homeland’ and accept living within a united Sri Lanka. Bear in mind, around 56% of the Tamil community live outside the Norther Province which essentially is somebody else’s home land. Meanwhile, you might want to give some consideration to the thousands of ‘low cast’ Tamils, deprived of their ‘sovereignty’ not by the Sinhalese but by their own high cast Tamil brethren for centuries and not for a mere 60 plus years.

    The last time India came to Sri Lanka to show the ‘stick’ as you refer, they left 1,200 dead soldiers and took back another 2,400 seriously injured and disabled. India is bound to think hard before repeating the act, especially for an ungrateful set of people who assassinated the man who sent 100,000 troops to show the ‘stick’ to Sri Lanka, on their behalf.

    The CIA documents declassified two days ago gives a glimpse of the length and breadth of Rajiv Gandhi’s love for Sri Lankan Tamil community and his love for power.

    As for ‘invasion’ of Senegalese troops into Gambia, it was a joint force of ECOWAS countries on a joint mission. Those unable to understand the difference between a joint action by a properly constituted regional body of nations and a unilateral invasion are the real time Ostriches.

    • 6
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      Mr. Jayaweera,
      Racism is clouding your mind which prevents you from rational thinking and makes you to come out with rubbish. Please remember that the solution for ethnic problem in Srilanka has been drawn up which is shared power and territory within a united country. Tamil people have realized this and have dropped their demand for independence. It is Sinhala people like you who are unable to read the writing on the wall.

      Mahinda promised the international community to carry out this, but did not do it for 06 years. Instead of that he thought by bringing China in he could escape settling of Tamil problem. Now not only he was deposed of power, he has placed the country in a severe debt position as well as prone to interference by countries opposed to China. This is the reason why India is rightly concerned about happenings in Srilanka.

      The present government assured to the international community that they will settle Tamil problem in a fair manner, but due to Sinhala racist onslaught is dilly dallying. They will be given more time and leverage such as soft peddling war crimes inquiry in UNHRC forum, but do not expect this to go on for ever for you to keep on fooling them. If no settlement is in sight after a reasonable period, they will step in.

      Regarding Indian stick in 1987, IPKF was welcomed with crackers and garland when they came. It was Prabaharan who fought them despite Tamils telling him not to do. It was Prabaharan who assassinated Rajiv without the consent of Tamils, and Tamils had to pay the price for that foolish act. Now the scenario is different with no Prabaharan to spoil that. It will be a victorious pursuit for India with Tamil support.

      Tamil homeland is a non-negotiable concept whether you like it or not, which can be proved archaeologically, and has been recognized in the two international accords of 1987 and 2002. Tamil demand to live in dignity and safety in their lands of historic habitation, can be easily accommodated without a division. Sinhalese are intransigent in arriving at a solution according to international norms to the ethnic problem.

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        Tamil homeland is a non-negotiable concept whether you like it or not, which can be proved archaeologically,//

        Aney please can you prove that?

        • 5
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          If you are really ignorant, then I feel sorry for you, but if you are denying the truth, then I have to call you a racist. Urn burial sites have been discovered along north-western coast from Pomparippu to Poonagari. Also ancient pottery similar to those discovered in Tamil Nadu have been discovered in mainland area of northern province. Tamil stone inscriptions dating to 2000 years have been unearthed in Kantalai and Weber Stadium in Trincomalee district and Mahiladitvu and Kathiraveli in Batticaloa district. There is not a single ancient stone Sinhala inscription has been discovered in these areas. Buddhist temples in these areas belong to Tamil Buddhists and not Sinhalese. History states that Muslims were in eastern province only for less than 500 years being settled there in order to escape persecution by Portuguese. 90% of Sinhalese in eastern province are settlers after independence in order to change the demographic pattern. This is the reason why these areas have been recognized internationally as areas of Tamil homeland. New evidence may be unearthed if Srilanka government grants money and equipment for archaeological work.

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      Mr Jayaweera,
      Your statement that 56% of Tamils live outside Tamil homeland is only half truth. It had been stated in these columns several times that 90% of Tamils living outside north and east are Tamils of recent Indian origin who had asserted that they should be treated separately from indigenous Tamils, of whom 90% are living in their Tamil homeland.

      You are shedding crocodile tears for the low caste Tamils. If you are honest about their plight, you should have supported Prabaharan in whose time caste system was virtually non existent. Moreover there is caste wise discrimination among the Sinhalese too. For your information this practice is fast dying among the enlightened younger generation.

      About Gambian invasion, it is Senegalese troops which invaded not joint operation, though there was consent from others. In the case of Mugabe, South Africa refused to intervene, though others gave consent. When India comes into Srilanka next time, it will do so with the consent of West and Russia. Time has come to save Tamils from Sinhala terrorists.

      You can practice Sinhala racism in Srilanka without falling foul. See how the Sinhala racists in UK are existing, like dogs with their tails tucked between their legs. They dare not open their mouth when abused by Tamils, nor lay their hands on Tamils without ending in Prison. It is only when that situation dawns in Srilanka, there will be peace.

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        Dr.GS

        We don’t care the date of arrival, whether they came for Tobacco plantations or Tea plantations, neither religion – Islam, Christianity or otherwise or caste divisions among the Tamils. All Tamil speaking people are Tamils for us. Whenever a ‘Tamil homeland” is demarcated we Sinhalese will demand all Tamils (Tamil speaking people) to be relocated into that area. Your argument that if India decides to break this island into pieces they are powerful enough to do that is correct and no one can prevent it. At that stage India or anyone cannot prevent the extreme discrimination the remaining Tamils(Tamil speaking people) among them will be subjected to. The only alternative India will be left with is complete annexation of Sri Lanka which is a long shot.

        Do those who practise Christianity fall into your category of indeginous Tamils while those who practise Islam not?

        Soma

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          Are you advocating a bloodbath as what happened during partition of India and Pakistan. If you try to evict Indian Tamils out of the plantation areas, then that will be the end of these plantations. Any attack on them will result in further loss of territory and Sinhalese will be subjected to divine retribution.

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            Dr GS

            No body wants a blood bath. I am opposed to any Tamil Homeland because it necessarily entails a Sinhala Homeland which is the total area outside Tamil homeland. Those Tamils who will remain inside the Sinhala Homeland will be subjected extreme discrimination, I am certain. Therefore it is imperative on the part of Tamil political masters to negotiate a relocation process and that must be a part and parcel of creating a Tamil homeland.

            I have met Indians who are of the opinion that many Indians now regret for not negotiating a settlement which involves physical relocation of Muslims into Pakistan at the time of separation, put the blame on Gandhi/Nehru. Now these Muslims have multiplied five times (35M to 170M – 8% to 15%)!

            Soma

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              somaaasss

              “I am opposed to any Tamil Homeland because it necessarily entails a Sinhala Homeland which is the total area outside Tamil homeland.”

              Trust me I am right behind you and support your aspiration to build your Sinhala/Buddhist ghetto for you and your noisy minority.

              You can count on me.

              I know you are a secret admirer of VP on the issue of ethnically cleansing Muslims not only from this island but also from your mother country.

    • 5
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      Rajeewa Jayaweera

      It is indeed sad to note you seem to be lost in the wilderness between Castes of all South Asian communities and the right to self-determination of Tamil from an occupied situation.

      When colonist captured Jaffna, it was ruled by Tamils. When Kotte was captured, it was ruled Alahakoon’s decedents (Tamils). When Kandy was captured, it was ruled by Nayaks(Tamils).

      Sinhalese never ruled the entire country. Only Naga -Tamils and/or Vedas (No-Yakshas – no archaeological evidences unearthed of bigger humans).

      You want to talk about International terrorism, then you want support international chief terrorist country, Pakistan unconditionally because Pakistan loaned you banned arms on the internationally accused war crime.

      To fool nations, you sign all international accords, but never pass laws to make them local rules.

      You want to beg for GSP+ while you want to impose your conditions on EU not the other way around.

      You want UN and IMF to beg loans from, but want to rule IMF and UN. Further, you want rich and larger nations to fund them.

      You want free arms. Then you want to show your tails those nations who gave those (India and America). Then put your tail between hind legs when countries who gave loan arms hack your computers.

      You shot 500 poor Tamil fishermen. Had you shot one Chinese Vassal that was fishing around Lankawe’s water until EU controlled it, China would burn more than what Hanuman burned Ceylon.

      You have no respect for minorities, if as per your claim they are only simple minorities, but you demand Larger Pole countries respect your sovereignty rules.

      You write your own history. You write your own sovereignty rules. You write your own Poles definitions. Your interest of robbing statue minorities’ sovereignty is expanding it to rule the Pole countries.

    • 1
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      Rajeewa Jayaweera

      “The last time India came to Sri Lanka to show the ‘stick’ as you refer, they left 1,200 dead soldiers and took back another 2,400 seriously injured and disabled.”

      I assume the 1200 Hindian soldiers did commit suicide en-masse and the other 2400 tumpled down the hill while going around the Mulberry Bush in order to self harm themselves.

  • 1
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    There is more going on than what you write. Sri lanka is part of that and Can not escape.

    Read the following. This is part of the article.

    The joint US-Indian Hybrid War on CPEC will come to define the forthcoming years, but just as equally so might be India’s internal problems brought about by its poorly conceived and sloppily implemented “demonetization”, which has accelerated calls for a federal devolution of the state and might eventually provoke more intense insurgencies. Also, it can’t be forgotten that while all of this is happening, Daesh is silently lying in wait and expanding its covert network of terrorist operatives in neighboring Bangladesh and perhaps even within India itself.
    The Hybrid War On CPEC

    One of the most under-the-radar developments of 2016 was undoubtedly the commencement of the joint US-Indian Hybrid War on CPEC. The author predicted and monitored the course of these events in the series of articles referenced below, which explain the strategic underpinning behind the project and the multilateral asymmetrical measures designed to subvert it:

    * 15 September (2015): Pakistan Is The “Zipper” Of Pan-Eurasian Integration

    * 28 April: India’s Politicization Of Terrorism: Masood Azhar And Dolkan Isa

    * 4 May: Is India Now A US Ally?

    * 7 May: The Threat To Russia And China From India’s New Pro-US Realignment

    * 30 August: India’s Geopolitical Hate For Pakistan Is Sabotaging The North-South Corridor

    * 27 September: India’s First-Ever Infowar Against Russia Was A Failure

    * 29 September: India Just Split Up SAARC And Brought The New Cold War To South Asia

    * 6 October: Is Russia’s “Deep State” Divided Over India?

    * 7 November: The Death Of SAARC Gave Birth To “Greater South Asia”

    Complementary with this, the author also wrote about how Russia should most effectively adapt to India’s pro-American pivot:

    * 16 May: The Meaning Of Multipolarity – Methodology And Indicators

    * 25 May: India And Multipolarity

    * 30 May: The Meaning Of Multipolarity – Managing The “Contested” Countries

    * 19 August: Russia’s Diplomatic Balancing Act Is Asia Is To The Benefit Of Its Chinese Ally

    * 23 October: Explaining Russia’s S-400 Sale To India

    * 1 December: The Secrets Behind Russia’s CPEC Saga

    * 19 December: Moscow’s Syrian-Afghan Summits Are Geostrategic Masterstrokes

    The general idea is that China needs CPEC in order to securely chart a direct trade route to the Indian Ocean which avoids the bottlenecked Strait of Malacca chokepoint, but that India is furious that the infrastructural megaproject passes through territory which it maximally claims as its own per the Kashmir dispute (in this case, the Pakistani territory of Gilgit-Baltistan). India and the US strategically converge in the grandest way possible when it comes to countering China, hence why both sides entered into an unprecedented military-strategic partnership over the summer through the signing of LEMOA, which crucially allows either country to use all of the other’s military installations on a case-by-case basis. Furthermore, the US just recently designated India as a “Major Defense Partner”, which is essentially a euphemism for being a Major Non-NATO Ally as it allows India the exact same military-technical advantages. Having a shared goal in stopping China and destroying CPEC, the US and India have also teamed up to foment a Baloch insurgency in the southwestern Pakistani province which importantly houses the project’s terminal port of Gwadar.

  • 1
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    http://katehon.com/article/2017-forecast-south-asia

    This is the Article.

    USA wants to gang up with India. Lot of collaborations in everyeay. At present, there are so many Indian CEOs, CFOS who run american companies. They want to make pakisthan a unimportant country because Pakisthan is acting as the Zipper for Indian european integration. Apparently, US does not want that. US wants India to be against Russia, China and not to integrate with EU. Sri Lanka is part of the plan in everyone’s future plan.

  • 5
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    Mr. Jeyaweera,

    Why Sri Lanka brought the 1947 citizenship act ?
    Why Srimavo signed a pact with India ?
    Why JR called in Rajiv (India ) to intervene and
    then signed a pact with Rajiv ?
    Did not Rajiv put LTTE leader under house arrest in India ?
    Did not India train the Srilankan high ranking armed forces personnel of Sri Lanka ?
    Why Anakarika Dhrmapala lived his latter part of the life in India ? Instead he could have lived in Anuradhapura or Kandy and promoted Buddhism through peace and harmony ?
    Why you have not touched on the racial riots in SL since 1911 ?
    Why you have not mentioned about aborting two pacts (BC & DC) by Sinhalese leaders ?

    Why even after May 2009 there is no political solutions to the sovereign citizens’ of all denominations still in the horizon ?

    Above all , are you a believer in real Buddhism ?

    In my view the educated people like you together with morally corrupted politicans and some members of the Sangha are main stumbling blocks to peace, harmony and prosperity of SL ?

    Feb 4th 1948 SL got Independence from your British Empire,
    Have your political leaders taken the country in the right path ?

    Put your own house in order & then talk about India.
    By the way majority of the Sinhalese and Tamils and Muslims have their genetic connections to India. Also the language and religious connections.

    First you blame your politicians then the India.

    • 0
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      Why Chelva claim “If Ceylon is fighting to secede from the British Empire, why should not the Tamil people, if they feel like it, secede from the rest of the country?” 1947.
      Bloody liars always complaining about discrimination when they are the most priviledged minority in the world, taking sides with one government after the next as kingmakers.

      • 1
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        Taraki

        “Why Chelva claim “If Ceylon is fighting to secede from the British Empire, why should not the Tamil people, if they feel like it, secede from the rest of the country?” 1947.”

        Could you cite your reference. (Not the jaffnahistory, De Silva is fond of)

  • 3
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    Sri Lanka is not governed by a Sri Lankan government it is headed by traitors so naturally we treat our enemies well and our friends badly

    • 4
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      Higannage Tuwale- Sri lankan Rajeewa Jayaweera

      When you don’t know the strength of your enemy don’t try because even Kochiya worship him at Delhi) His son is a great writer on foreign affairs and better than shashi tharoor son.

      S Jaishankar had replaced Sujata Singh, whose term was abruptly curtailed by the government.(PTI File Photo)
      Foreign secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has been given an unprecedented one-year extension after his two-year tenure ends on January 28.

      Jaishankar, a 1977-batch IFS officer, served in Singapore, China and the US before he became foreign secretary and was instrumental in closing the India-US nuclear agreement. He has led India’s push for NSG (Nuclear Suppliers Group) membership in spite of Chinese objections.

      The decision on extension of his tenure was conveyed to Jaishankar late Monday evening. Known to keep a low profile, Jaishankar enjoys the confidence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, national security adviser Ajit Doval and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj. He is on the same page as Doval on India’s policy vis-à-vis Pakistan.

      This is the first time that a foreign secretary has been granted an extension beyond the fixed tenure of two years. The extension means there is a good chance for India’s ambassador to Russia, Pankaj Saran, and envoy to China, Vijay Gokhale, to succeed Jaishankar when he retires.

      Jaishankar first came in touch with Modi in 2011 in China where he was India’s envoy and the latter was on a visit as the chief minister of Gujarat.

  • 4
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    There are two issues here.
    One concerns Indian meddling in Sri Lanka.
    That had less to do with promoting terrorism to help Tamils or even subvert Sri Lanka than to ‘put JRJ in his place’. It was a calculated measure to prevent Sri Lanka from getting into the US orbit as planned by JRJ. There was LTTE terror but there was also state terror which preceded LTTE terror; and people often choose talk of only one.

    The other concerns India’s fears about China.
    China has been very careful to avoid hurting Indian interests, except when India acted to hurt China. India’s role relating to the ‘Tibet rebellion of 1959’ was unfriendly. Indian provocation in the border issue (the war of 1962 included) including tampering with maps is well documented. AG Noorani has written extensively on it in the Frontline and none has been challenged seriously thus far.

    India still has territorial ambitions— long harboured by its leaders who viewed India as the legitimate successor to the British Raj and entitled to more territory than at the time of independence.
    India has tried various ploys to achieve that end which have mostly failed except for the annexation of Sikkim and control over Bhutan. Meddling continues in Nepal.
    Using SAARC as a device is its most recent major failure.

    India always needed a patron to back its expansionist projects. It was the USSR from the late 1950’s until the tail end if Indira Gandhi’s rule, when Soviet involvement in Afghanistan was not very much to India’s liking. Drift towards US patronage came as the USSR started to weaken. But the US was wary, because it had to protect the interests of an older friend, Pakistan.

    India, unlike China, Japan and Pakistan, has been rather crude in its diplomacy; even worse than the US.

    We cannot totally avoid being caught up in the rivalry for control of (or access to) the region. But there are better ways than to yield to pressure from rival bidders for influence.

  • 5
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    Rajeewa


    It is time the Tamil community dropped the claim of ‘Tamil Homeland’ and accept living within a united Sri Lanka. Bear in mind, around 56% of the Tamil community live outside the Norther Province which essentially is somebody else’s home land. Meanwhile, you might want to give some consideration to the thousands of ‘low cast’ Tamils, deprived of their ‘sovereignty’ not by the Sinhalese but by their own high cast Tamil brethren for centuries and not for a mere 60 plus years.”

    When did you Sinhalese become experts on Tamil casts system ? Sinhala caste system is more oppressive than the Tamil caste system. Unlike the Tamils Sinhalese are not a nation in Ceylon in fact there are many Sinhala nations with in Ceylon. There is the uddarata ( kandyan ) Sinhalese , then comes the Low – country Sinhalese, amongst the low contry Sinhalese the Karawa, Durawa , Salagama and Demala kattara are originally all Tamil migrants from South India.

    Then comes the low caste Rodiyas, then Dhobies like Premadasa etc,

    It is the Karawa V Govi struggle that pitted Sarath Fonseka against Rajapakses , the karawa lost to the Govi.

    Rajeewa a person in a Glass house musn’t throw stones at others.

    No wonder your Sinhala race is known as a race of fools – Modayas.

    There are similar fools like you eg HLd Mahindapala, k. Sumanasekara etal try to talk about the Tamil caste system in this forum forgetting their own, these Sinhala ostrichs have no brains fortifying my argument that your race is a race of fools. You Sinhalese are genetically inferior to the Tamils.

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    Rajeewa

    ” The last time India came to Sri Lanka to show the ‘stick’ as you refer, they left 1,200 dead soldiers and took back another 2,400 seriously injured and disabled. India is bound to think hard before repeating the act, especially for an ungrateful set of people who assassinated the man who sent 100,000 troops to show the ‘stick’ to Sri Lanka, on their behalf.”

    Look who is talking, it is not your so – called Sinhala Virayas who fought the Indians gallantly and send them packing , it is our Tamil heroes led by Hero of all Heros V.Pirabakaran who fought and drove the Invading alien Indians back to where they came from. We Eelam Tamils are fiercely independent both from India and Srilanka, we mean what we say we are not Indian stooges at the same time we are also no slaves of the Sinhalese. You seemed to be showing your intellectual weakness attributable to your race { modayas} when you say that the Tamils showed their ungratefulness when they assassinated Rajiv Ghandi , Tamils know fully well that Rajiv ain’t our friend or ally he was like any Indian leader or for that matter any Indian a self serving , un principled and arrogant Indian. He was not helping the Tamils or liberating the Tamil homeland, instead he send his goonda army to rapeTamil women , and pillage the Tamil homeland because of that he paid the supreme price for his ignorance and folly.

    unlike the Sinhalese we Tamils mean what we say or not say it we don’t mean it. You Sinhalese don’t mean any thing you say, how else will you account for the abrogation of Banda- Chelva pact, Dudley- Chelva pact , Indo- Srilanka accord etc.

    You sinhalese must learn to respect others , if you want others to respect you.

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      0

      Tiger

      Would you like to review your entire typing?

  • 4
    1

    “”The keynote speaker at the 2017 edition was India’s Foreign Secretary, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. Some parts of his address are best described as perfidious, at least from a Sri Lankan perspective.””

    you are just a ambude gass gembo from a way side village.

    Today Modi and Xi are in talking terms thanks to Jaishanker who speaks fluent Mandarin, Fluent English and Fluent Hindi, Fluent Gujarati.- Though he is retired modi keeps on extending his term. He served at Washington, and Beijing as Ambassador.

    BTW Indians have US$ Billions of business at China and are respected for their strength in business unlike you shameless higanno sovereign.

    Trump would trample on all 3 communities- He is delivering on his promises at speed that politicians and media cannot understand.

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    Native My blood brother!

    “Would you like to review your entire typing? “

    when you say this, did you mean that I have not punctuated the text properly ? or Are you taking issue with the text itself ?

    Your response is very much appreciated.

    T.Tiger

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      1

      Tiger

      “Native My blood brother!”

      When Tamils and Sinhalese address me as brother, I am bit worried about my Amude (under wear or Kowanam).

      It is similar to Christian colonial preachers giving the natives “good news from the good book” while grabbing their land.

      You are proud of VP fighting the Hindians. It was a futile war from which nobody gained anything except the Sinhala/Buddhist state. This released the armed forces to massacre innocent Sinhala youth.

      Tell us please when did VP the psychopath ever work for his people? He initially worked for TULF, then for the Hindians, then for Premadasa and his armed forces, then of course for the west, then he won two elections and a war for MR, ….. ?

      The cash and gold LTTE stole from people were given to Gota on platter. Do you know who controls the overseas funds raised by LTTE brokers just before the war came to an end?

      I was told LTTE enterprises once had 900 investments in the UK alone. Who is enjoying/benefiting from all such investments?

      “unlike the Sinhalese we Tamils mean what we say or not say it we don’t mean it.”

      Be serious.

      By the way my Elders have restricted my activities to a few minutes in this forum.

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