ஐ.நா.அறிக்கைச் சூழலில் இந்திய இலங்கை உறவு
Indo-Lanka relations today
September 16, 2015, 7:29 am
No international relationship is more important to Sri Lanka than is that with India, and it is therefore most appropriate that Prime Minister Ranil Wicremesinghe should be paying his first overseas visit to India.
Our relations with India extend to more than 2500 years and is firmly entrenched, for we do share cultures, cemented by Buddhism. Our history is linked to that of India and today we do have a close economic relationship too that makes us two peas in a pod; but we need to retain and respect each other’s Independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Sadly, perhaps our relationship has had its ups and downs but the people to people relationship has always remained strong, though we for our part, need to strengthen it further, by having consulates not only in Tami Nadu but also in all the States of South India and also in West Bengal and cultivating relations with these states and their legislatures.
We need to relate to India’s principal concern, which is its security ---
with the Increase of Chinese and Japanese interest in the Indian Ocean along with the continuing interest of the US. We need to ensure that we give India no cause to fear, for her security. We have today only a few issues to sort out.
As for the vital area of economic relations, we need to be careful about what Pannikar, and other imperialists sought to achieve by interfering in our internal affairs and failed. New imperialist are said to be seeking to use the new economic weapon, the CEPA, to swamp our small economy. Though we do need to plug into the booming Indian economy we need to be careful. The CEPA can indeed be abused. Another matter which we should take note of is the red tape of the state administrations.
India and Sri Lanka should now sign a new treaty of peace, friendship and cooperation and replace the treaty that was imposed upon us during the Jayawardene era and assure us that India would never interfere again in our internal affairs and also solemnly accept to respect the unity and territorial integrity of our country. India, the regional superpower, should accept the responsibility that goes with that status and incorporate the Gujral Doctrine into her Constitution. We for our part should support India becoming a Permanent Member of the UN Security Council. She is indeed qualified to accept that responsibility.
As for our ethnic problem, and the insurgency which India helped to transform into a huge military offensive by arming and training the Tamil militants (please read Shekar Gupta’ account captioned "Ominous Presence in Tamil Nadu" in ‘India Today’—pages 88 to 94, of March 31st 1984); we of course need to reach out to our Tamil brethren and ensure that they too feel that they are also Sri Lankans with equal rights and opportunities as all those who live in our blessed land, but putting an end to this problem must be a matter for us the people of this country; we initially created the problem by shutting out the Tamils in 1956 and thereafter though SWRD and Dudley attempted to reach out to the Tamils they were thwarted by so called Nationalists who were actually racists;
we have paid a heavy price for our folly but today this government is seeking sincerely to make up with the Tamil people and put the problem behind us and to get on with developing our country, therefore neither India nor any other country or countries should be allowed to intervene on any excuse.
As for our foreign relations, this government has embarked on a scrupulous non aligned policy but certain relationships are naturally more important than others, the West is where almost all our exports go and our relations with the West stretch for four hundred years and more and should be carefully nurtured and preserved; our relations with China goes back to over one thousand years and in the post Korean War period, when we gave China Rubber which no other country was prepared to provide our relations, they have not forgotten that; the relationship has become very special both to China and to us for they have been most helpful to us particularly during the war when others
were not prepared to help us and China has also helped us in the UN.
We need to manage that relationship carefully and have them agree to revising certain agreements entered during the period last administration, both in China’s interest and ours too. We should not give India or any other country cause to worry about our relationship with China. The late
Lakshman Kadirgamar and I were, when we had discussions with the then Chinese Prime Minister, he assured us that China would never do anything which would give any other country cause for concern or an excuse to destabilize us.
I do hope and pray that Prime Minister Ranil will lay the foundation for a relationship with India similar to that which we had with India when Sirimavo Bandaranaike was our PM and when India not only conceded Katchchativu to us but also agreed to take back over five hundred thousand Indian nationals from this country.
In conclusion I also hope and pray that our Prime Minister will not pursue the matter of establishing a land bridge to India, we don't need one to promote trade and Commerce with India, there are many other avenues for that.
Source: The Island LK
Indo-Lanka relations today
September 16, 2015, 7:29 am
I also hope and pray that our Prime Minister will not pursue the matter of establishing a land bridge to India, we don't need one to promote trade and Commerce with India, there are many other avenues for that.By K. Godage Former Ambassador
No international relationship is more important to Sri Lanka than is that with India, and it is therefore most appropriate that Prime Minister Ranil Wicremesinghe should be paying his first overseas visit to India.
Our relations with India extend to more than 2500 years and is firmly entrenched, for we do share cultures, cemented by Buddhism. Our history is linked to that of India and today we do have a close economic relationship too that makes us two peas in a pod; but we need to retain and respect each other’s Independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Sadly, perhaps our relationship has had its ups and downs but the people to people relationship has always remained strong, though we for our part, need to strengthen it further, by having consulates not only in Tami Nadu but also in all the States of South India and also in West Bengal and cultivating relations with these states and their legislatures.
We need to relate to India’s principal concern, which is its security ---
with the Increase of Chinese and Japanese interest in the Indian Ocean along with the continuing interest of the US. We need to ensure that we give India no cause to fear, for her security. We have today only a few issues to sort out.
I would list the fisheries issue as being more than an irritant. It is indeed ironical that the leaders of Tamil Nadu, who are expressing concern about the Tamil people in Sri Lank’s North, are the very people who, with their trawlers are denying northern Tamil fishermen their livelihoods. The Indian Navy that MUST also ensure that their fishing boats do not enter Sri Lankan waters.
As for the vital area of economic relations, we need to be careful about what Pannikar, and other imperialists sought to achieve by interfering in our internal affairs and failed. New imperialist are said to be seeking to use the new economic weapon, the CEPA, to swamp our small economy. Though we do need to plug into the booming Indian economy we need to be careful. The CEPA can indeed be abused. Another matter which we should take note of is the red tape of the state administrations.
India and Sri Lanka should now sign a new treaty of peace, friendship and cooperation and replace the treaty that was imposed upon us during the Jayawardene era and assure us that India would never interfere again in our internal affairs and also solemnly accept to respect the unity and territorial integrity of our country. India, the regional superpower, should accept the responsibility that goes with that status and incorporate the Gujral Doctrine into her Constitution. We for our part should support India becoming a Permanent Member of the UN Security Council. She is indeed qualified to accept that responsibility.
As for our ethnic problem, and the insurgency which India helped to transform into a huge military offensive by arming and training the Tamil militants (please read Shekar Gupta’ account captioned "Ominous Presence in Tamil Nadu" in ‘India Today’—pages 88 to 94, of March 31st 1984); we of course need to reach out to our Tamil brethren and ensure that they too feel that they are also Sri Lankans with equal rights and opportunities as all those who live in our blessed land, but putting an end to this problem must be a matter for us the people of this country; we initially created the problem by shutting out the Tamils in 1956 and thereafter though SWRD and Dudley attempted to reach out to the Tamils they were thwarted by so called Nationalists who were actually racists;
we have paid a heavy price for our folly but today this government is seeking sincerely to make up with the Tamil people and put the problem behind us and to get on with developing our country, therefore neither India nor any other country or countries should be allowed to intervene on any excuse.
As for our foreign relations, this government has embarked on a scrupulous non aligned policy but certain relationships are naturally more important than others, the West is where almost all our exports go and our relations with the West stretch for four hundred years and more and should be carefully nurtured and preserved; our relations with China goes back to over one thousand years and in the post Korean War period, when we gave China Rubber which no other country was prepared to provide our relations, they have not forgotten that; the relationship has become very special both to China and to us for they have been most helpful to us particularly during the war when others
were not prepared to help us and China has also helped us in the UN.
We need to manage that relationship carefully and have them agree to revising certain agreements entered during the period last administration, both in China’s interest and ours too. We should not give India or any other country cause to worry about our relationship with China. The late
Lakshman Kadirgamar and I were, when we had discussions with the then Chinese Prime Minister, he assured us that China would never do anything which would give any other country cause for concern or an excuse to destabilize us.
I do hope and pray that Prime Minister Ranil will lay the foundation for a relationship with India similar to that which we had with India when Sirimavo Bandaranaike was our PM and when India not only conceded Katchchativu to us but also agreed to take back over five hundred thousand Indian nationals from this country.
In conclusion I also hope and pray that our Prime Minister will not pursue the matter of establishing a land bridge to India, we don't need one to promote trade and Commerce with India, there are many other avenues for that.
Source: The Island LK
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