India needn't fear China's role in Lanka: Rajapaksa

[Guynextdoor]

India needn't fear China's role in Lanka: Rajapaksa

India needn't fear China's role in Lanka: Rajapaksa - India - The Times of India

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa has sought to allay Indian concerns about the growing Chinese influence in Sri Lanka, saying India's role in the island was a permanent feature, unlike other players whose engagement was limited to commercial projects they execute.

"The Chinese will come to Sri Lanka, build some projects and go, but the Indians will come here, they will build and they will stay. This is the difference in our relations with China and India," Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa told The Times of India in a two-hour long interview at his 'Temple Trees' residence in Colombo last week.

Sri Lanka was a non-aligned country and India its neighbour. "Indians are our relations, and our cultural ties are 2,500 years old," he said. While those ties could not be broken, "It doesn't mean that we won't get commercial benefits from others." He added that even the LTTE had raised the Chinese bogey so that it could get India on its side.

Asked about his invitation to India to set up a diplomatic mission in Hambantota, the southern town in his native district, Rajapaksa said largescale development was in the offing in Hambantota. "It will be a major city. Not only India, other countries, too, will want to have their diplomatic missions there," he said of the town where China is developing a modern port and there are plans to establish the country's second international airport.

The feisty president, who speaks with unconcealed pride about defeating "terrorism", was, however, guarded in his comments on the idea of the proposed comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) with India. "If CEPA is beneficial to Sri Lanka, we will consider it. There is no intention to delay it, but first I must see my country's interest and then the neighbour's interest," he said.

China is executing significant infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka, leading policy analysts to wonder whether the island nation was helping the strategic interests of China. Similarly, CEPA, over which several rounds of negotiations have achieved no breakthrough, is seen in Sri Lanka as a precursor to India's economic domination over its tiny Indian Ocean neighbour, even though some economists and the country's central bank support it.

Rajapaksa said he believed in being closer to all countries and winning them over, but he could do it only in his own independent way. "Unfortunately, in the past, our foreign policy was wrong. We antagonized neighbours. I will never do that as I know the consequences," he said, referring to India's controversial intervention in Sri Lanka in the 1980's as it believed that the island nation was then gravitating towards the US camp.

Pointing out that China was only one of several countries which were involved in Sri Lanka's post-war development, Rajapaksa said the China factor was a bogey raised to upset the Indian public and undermine his regime's deepening ties with India. He pointed out that there was an equally shrill campaign about Indian 'domination' over Sri Lanka, and argued that such propaganda is stepped up whenever his country moved closer to its giant northern neighbour.

"During the Sirimavo Bandaranaike regime, the opposition started a campaign that she had sold the country to China. I feel it is the same cry of 'China, China' now. Others are saying, 'India, India', claiming that we are selling this country to India."

 

[garibnawaz]

I wish Indira Gandhi the Iron Lady was alive today.

Rajapakse wouldn't have fear the LTTE either as he would have been sitting in Beijing in exile under the asylum of the same China.

How her (Indira's) son and Daughter in Law screwed everything with regards to Lanka.

GB

 

[Markus]

I wish Indira Gandhi the Iron Lady was alive today.

Rajapakse wouldn't have fear the LTTE either as he would have been sitting in Beijing in exile under the asylum of the same China.

How her (Indira's) son and Daughter in Law screwed everything with regards to Lanka.

GB

So true!!!!!

What was the need of IPKF? 1000 Indian soldiers lost their lives for nothing. I sometimes feel Rajiv Gandhi really deserved the end that he got.

 

[garibnawaz]

So true!!!!!

What was the need of IPKF? 1000 Indian soldiers lost their lives for nothing. I sometimes feel Rajiv Gandhi really deserved the end that he got.

LTTE never murdered any Indian citizen until IPKF entered Lanka.

Even post Rajiv's murder the LTTE never murdered any Indian citizen on earth.

LTTE was never responsible for any violence or act against Mother India. Rather they are/were our own people to whom we should have supported for their equal rights in Lanka.

We can support Mandela and Arafat but not our own people.

GB

 

[Markus]

LTTE never murdered any Indian citizen until IPKF entered Lanka.

Even post Rajiv's murder the LTTE never murdered any Indian citizen on earth.

LTTE was never responsible for any violence or act against Mother India. Rather they are/were our own people to whom we should have supported for their equal rights in Lanka.

We can support Mandela and Arafat but not our own people and that too for nothing, no purpose served at all.

GB

And Rajiv's case for IPKF becomes even more weak when the whole world clearly knew that it was his own mother who had asked RAW to support the LTTE. So on one hand, you support LTTE and from the other hand you send ur army to crush the same LTTE. What sense does this make? If he really wanted to crush the LTTE, he could have done that by trying to shut down LTTE's supply routes (money and weapons). But no, he had other plans.

But in all this mess, India ended up loosing 1000 of its own men.

 

[garibnawaz]

And Rajiv's case for IPKF becomes even more weak when the whole world clearly knew that it was his own mother who had asked RAW to support the LTTE. So on one hand, you support LTTE and from the other hand you send ur army to crush the same LTTE. What sense does this make? If he really wanted to crush the LTTE, he could have done that by trying to shut down LTTE's supply routes (money and weapons). But no, he had other plans.

But in all this mess, India ended up loosing 1000 of its own men.

Indira had a policy, whoever turns against India press the destroy button.

See what she did in 1971.

Pakistan never ever dared to stare at India until she was alive.

Rajapakse has same problem, he thinks he is Fiedel Castro and we are America unfortunately for us Indians there is no Indira today.

GB

 

[Guynextdoor]

LTTE never murdered any Indian citizen until IPKF entered Lanka.

Even post Rajiv's murder the LTTE never murdered any Indian citizen on earth.

LTTE was never responsible for any violence or act against Mother India. Rather they are/were our own people to whom we should have supported for their equal rights in Lanka.

We can support Mandela and Arafat but not our own people.

GB

It's not as simple as that. Fact is that Lanka today is very different from what it was before. The sinhalese statesmen WERE quite arrogant then and despite all that well meaning sri lankans say today, in those days there was an explicit intent of discrimination. Remember that in 1971, sri lanka actually allowed Pak Navy to use their land? Why was the need for that? I still don't see the logic.

a) Hambantota was actually offered to India BEFORE it was offered to china. We wouldn't take it because we knew that the money would be used in the big push against LTTE (public sentiment). So we let go of the port and they gave it to the chinese. We can't fault them on this can we?
b) I think that after LTTE went out of control (for us) we struck a deal with Rajapakse and team that we'll not interfere when he carries out his big purge provided civilian tamils are not harmed and that any political settlement post conflict would give them fair rights. There are no indications that that's not the case.

Let's see what happens next

 

[ek_indian]

Guys, while loss of IKPF was a tragic incident. I see no reason to support LTTE.

It is true that there was definite descrimination, however to counter one evil another evil can't be used. LTTE too was an extremist/terrorist organization. Just because it did not harm Indian, does not mean it was a saint. LTTE was behind so many killings. Furthermore, India using it as proxy was a interference in others internal affairs. We should remember also that using proxies is always a very idiotic and bad idea. Do you want to have example?

 

[garibnawaz]

It's not as simple as that. Fact is that Lanka today is very different from what it was before. The sinhalese statesmen WERE quite arrogant then

They are still arrogant today and nothing has changed.

The massacre of innocent Tamils in the name of wiping LTTE is witness to that.

Rajapakse has serious ambitions and he must be shown his place before we have another Bangladesh, this time right under us.

GB

 

[deckingraj]

Remember that in 1971, sri lanka actually allowed Pak Navy to use their land? Why was the need for that? I still don't see the logic.

Somebody said that they were cozing up with US....We very well know the role US played in 71 war....So can the two dots be combined??? Asking because don't want to be a conspiracy theorist....

 

[garibnawaz]

Guys, while loss of IKPF was a tragic incident. I see no reason to support LTTE.

It is true that there was definite descrimination, however to counter one evil another evil can't be used. LTTE too was an extremist/terrorist organization. Just because it did not harm Indian, does not mean it was a saint. LTTE was behind so many killings. Furthermore, India using it as proxy was a interference in others internal affairs. We should remember also that using proxies is always a very idiotic and bad idea. Do you want to have example?

Some people use the same argument against India's support to Mukti Bahini and Northern Alliance.

If you dont want to support LTTE (which is finished) then use other leverage to stop discrimination against our own people.

Answer the sinhalese arrogance.

2008 Georgia conflict is a nice example.

Georgia tries to f**k around with Russian people in Ossetia and Russia gave them a fitting response of a lifetime.

Even US, NATO and EU couldn't help Georgia.

GB

 

[Guynextdoor]

Some people use the same argument against India's support to Mukti Bahini and Northern Alliance.

If you dont want to support LTTE (which is finished) then use other leverage to stop discrimination against our own people.

Answer the sinhalese arrogance.

2008 Georgia conflict is a nice example.

Georgia tries to f**k around with Russian people in Ossetia and Russia gave them a fitting response of a lifetime.

Even US, NATO and EU couldn't help Georgia.

GB

I rhink things have changed. Probably because of the LTTE, they don't take tamils for granted any more. Plus tamils are from tamil nadu...a state way ahead of sri lanka in terms of industrial development and cultural clout- Sri Lanka cannot really compare itself with the land that the tamils came from...has it's impact you know, at least in diluting cultural arrogance and trying for a more meaningful coexistence

 

[ek_indian]

Some people use the same argument against India's support to Mukti Bahini and Northern Alliance.

If you dont want to support LTTE (which is finished) then use other leverage to stop discrimination against our own people.

Answer the sinhalese arrogance.

2008 Georgia conflict is a nice example.

Georgia tries to f**k around with Russian people in Ossetia and Russia gave them a fitting response of a lifetime.

Even US, NATO and EU couldn't help Georgia.

GB

I never said I do not oppose discrimination against Tamils. But the method LTTE adopted was not good either. One more thing, my first priority should be to serve India and Indians. Srilankans Tamils are SL people, not Indians. Though we have sympathy and support for them I would not like my country to be a flag bearer of Tamils (or any other such community). We know what is the result of this. Again, do you want to have a example of it?

 

[garibnawaz]

I rhink things have changed. Probably because of the LTTE, they don't take tamils for granted any more. Plus tamils are from tamil nadu...a state way ahead of sri lanka in terms of industrial development and cultural clout- Sri Lanka cannot really compare itself with the land that the tamils came from...has it's impact you know, at least in diluting cultural arrogance and trying for a more meaningful coexistence

Sri Lankans are simply jealous.

Tamil's are in Singapore as well. Hindu Tamil's are some 4% and Tamil all together are less than 6%.

Compare this with Christians (14.6%) and Muslims (14.9%) and Buddhist (42.5%).

Yet Tamil is one of the national language of Singapore. Yet a Tamil man is President of Singapore. There is no discrimination against Tamil in Singapore at all.

I never said I do not oppose discrimination against Tamils. But the method LTTE adopted was not good either.

Prabhakaran did not woke up one fine morning and founded LTTE.

Many Tamil groups and political parties tried to contest elections in democratic way, upon oppression Prabhakaran founded LTTE.

In the beginning LTTE was not alone there were other groups like PLOTE as well.

In short they tried the more democratic non violent way, upon no response they went the LTTE way.

One more thing, my first priority should be to serve India and Indians. Srilankans Tamils are SL people, not Indians.

You can support Afghans and Bangladeshi's but not Tamil in Lanka or Malaysia?

Your priorities don't impress me at all.

GB

 

[deckingraj]

You can support Afghans and Bangladeshi's but not Tamil in Lanka or Malaysia?

Your priorities don't impress me at all.

GB

Though i disagree with all you said above however this one was an eye-catcher....Listen dude GOI is supporting Afghans in Afghanistan and Bangladeshi's in Bangladesh.....Similarly if need be they should support Sri-Lankans in Sri Lanka and not only Tamils....Having said it we have sympathy with the sorry state of Tamils in Sri Lanka and this has been made ample clear to Sri Lanka ...Now what else are you looking for???