Round The World

New Delhi, 30 November 2010

Krishna’s Sri Lanka Visit

PRO-ACTIVE FOREIGN POLICY VITAL

By Monish Tourangbam

Research Scholar, School of International Studies (JNU)

Coming close on the heels of President Mahinda Rajapaksa being sworn-in officially for his second term, India’s Foreign Minister S M Krishna’s visit to Sri Lanka should be seen as giving credence to the priority accorded to the island nation in India’s foreign policy. The visit of Krishna is an affirmation of the confidence that the Manmohan Singh Government has shown in the Rajapaksa Administration for building a new Sri Lanka based on mutual trust between the Sinhalese and the minority Tamils.

The regularity of the high level visits from India since the end of the Tamil Tigers besides giving support to the ruling junta also shows the concerns that New Delhi harbours for the way the Tamil question is handled in post-conflict Sri Lanka. No real peace or prosperity can come in the island nation by sidelining the needs and causes of the Tamils.

The country under a powerful President is giving every sign of growth. But with greater power comes greater responsibilities. So, the Sri Lankan Government needs to introspect on its policies towards the Sri Lankan Tamils on a daily basis. Earlier this year, the controversial amendments to the 1978 Sri Lankan Constitution included lifting the two-term limit on the post of the President, which literally means that strongman Rajapaksa is in for a long innings.

President Rajapaksa held the reins of the large-scale operations against the once-dreaded LTTE and presided over its final collapse following its leader Prabhakaran’s death. The international community including its big neighbour India has been consistently setting its eyes on how the Rajapaksa Administration restores normalcy. New Delhi has persistently assisted in the rehabilitation of Tamil civilians whose lives have been on the razor’s edge. The re-settlement of the Tamils and their proper inclusion into the larger growth story of Sri Lanka is something that India is highly concerned about.

This is in stark contrast to countries like China which seems to be far-removed from this complex question and concerned with only the economics of the story. As also how much foothold Beijing can gain in the region. As such, New Delhi carries a bigger responsibility that tries to balance its relations with the Sri Lankan Government with the deeper questions of power devolution and human rights.

The Sri Lankans are at a critical juncture. After being ravaged by civil war for years which hindered any chances of re-integration and re-generation of society, post conflict they have a unique opportunity to rebuild society, take things head-on and pave a future where Tamils no longer feel the need to have another Prabhakaran. Or else, Sri Lanka caught in the illusion of power; prosperity and growth figures can push issues under the rug and engineer a faulty peace that will only postpone another crisis.

Since the end of the long-drawn conflict, New Delhi has been in the forefront of providing assistance for relief and rehabilitation of displaced Tamil civilians and in de-mining operation in the erstwhile conflict zones. The Foreign Minister, who was on a four-day visit to Sri Lanka, said India hoped for the creation of a ‘structured dialogue mechanism' to work out a political solution to the ethnic conflict in the island nation.

During his stay Krishna inaugurated two new Indian consulates, one in southern Sri Lankan coastal city of Hambantota, a site of major Chinese investment and another in Jaffna, which was once the bastion of the LTTE. Besides, the High Commission in Colombo, India already has a consulate in Kandy in the central hill district to cater to the needs of the Indian origin Tamils.

This is a well intended step towards taking the depth of the bilateral relations forward and increasing the reach of Indian assistance to the regeneration of the post-conflict Sri Lanka. These consulates can serve as major centres that will showcase India’s intention to be Sri Lanka’s partner in its growth, without meddling in its internal affairs.

The visit also witnessed the signing of the credit agreement of some $416.39 million for the Northern Railway construction project and the exchange of Instruments of Ratification of the Agreement on Transfer of Sentenced Prisoners and of the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty being realized. The two sides reviewed the ongoing preparatory work on the project for the construction of 50,000 houses for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Northern and Eastern Provinces and also for estate workers in the Central Provinces with the support of India. A contract was signed with Hindustan Prefab Limited by the Government of India for commencement of construction of 1000 houses as a “Pilot Project” in the Northern Province.

Noting the importance of speedily restoring the traditional transport links between the two countries, New Delhi and Colombo welcomed the finalization of the agreement to resume ferry services between Colombo and Tuticorin and Talaimannar and Rameswaram and directed the concerned officials to put in place the mechanisms to start these services as soon as the agreement is signed.

As both sides agreed to explore ways to strengthen the safety and security of fishermen, they welcomed the decision to revive the meetings of the bilateral Joint Working Group on Fishing. Besides, a bilateral India-Sri Lanka CEO’s Forum was also constituted, indicating a future of enhanced trade cooperation and investment opportunities.

As a neighbouring country and as a regional power-house, bench-warming is not an option for India. Given that China is investing heavily with the full consent of the Sri Lankan Government, there is nothing much India can do to thwart it. The only way to handle this raging competition is to set in place a pro-active foreign policy decision-making mechanism and look at opportunities in the region that will bring positive dividends for India in future. Pro-activity in foreign policy is not a choice but a necessity for India. One should not be left to collect crumbs when it comes to investments in foreign countries.

With much diplomatic restraint and caution, Sri Lanka should be made to know that foreign assistance should be used to bring about a more inclusive Sri Lanka, and for that, the representation of ethnic Tamils in institutions of national importance should be increased, specifically the Sri Lankan army. It is entirely Sri Lanka’s decision as to what policy it follows and with what sort of countries it deals with.

But, it is again entirely in India’s hands to make Indian investments more enticing and showcase the dynamism and transparency of the Indian market. It is in New Delhi’s interest to make the neighbourhood safe for democracy. India lives in a complex enough neigbourhood surrounded by arch-rival Pakistan that consistently sees India as the No.1 enemy, a rising but antagonist China, an autocratic Myanmar with a shoddy human rights record, and by countries like Nepal and Bangladesh that passes into characteristic fits of instability. In such a scenario, a post-conflict Sri Lanka taking baby steps to normalcy and stability should be primary investment for India. --- INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)