Category: Featured Headlines

Sri Lanka’s and India’s shared past, common heritage and strong cultural connect create ‘a natural warmth’ in dealing with each other, High Commissioner of India Santosh Jha has said.

“For us, as close and proximate neighbours, cooperation is the only option. It is not driven by choice and opportunity alone,” Jha said speaking at the India-Sri Lanka Defence Seminar held in Colombo on Wednesday.

“Our approach to Sri Lanka is guided by our neighbourhood-first policy and our SAGAR vision. This entails that we share with our closest neighbours all that we can based on their needs and aspirations. It also entails that our approach remains generous and non-reciprocal.”

India looked forward to working with Sri Lanka to take forward our common endeavour to deepen and further strengthen our defence cooperation, the high commissioner said. 

Bilateral cooperation between the countries is expanding and diversifying, “We now cooperate in wider range of areas including infrastructure and connectivity, deeper economic engagement, trade and investment, culture and education, tourism and people to people ties.”

Indian High Commissioner’s full speech:

Ayubowan, Namaskaar, Good Morning

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Second Seminar on India-Sri Lanka Defence Cooperation that we are organizing in Colombo. I thank you all for attending. My deep appreciation to the Hon. State Minister Mr. Tennekoon for his presence here today.

I must also thank the Chief of Defence Staff of Sri Lanka and the Commanders of the Air Force and Navy for their gracious presence. We value the support extended by the Ministry of Defence of Sri Lanka. We look forward to working with our Sri Lankan friends to take forward our common endeavour to deepen and further strengthen our defence cooperation. 

I am also grateful for the presence of Indian delegation led by Additional Secretary from Ministry of Defence. He is leading a large and very diverse delegation from the Indian defence-industry, including some leading Indian Defence Public Sector entities and wide range of industry players from the private sector.

Distinguished Guests
Relations between India and Sri Lanka are uniquely fraternal. They are very special and unlike any other we have with other countries.
 

Our shared civilizational past, common heritage and strong cultural connect create a natural warmth and comfort in dealing with each other. For us, as close and proximate neighbours, cooperation is the only option.

It is not driven by choice and opportunity alone. Our approach to Sri Lanka is guided by our neighbourhood-first policy and our SAGAR vision. This entails that we share with our closest neighbours all that we can based on their needs and aspirations. It also entails that our approach remains generous and non-reciprocal.
 

Our support in recent years to Sri Lanka, during the Covid pandemic and the economic crisis,were driven by our sense of responsibility and obligation for our closest friend and neighbour. We stood shoulder to shoulder with our civilizational twin, when it was needed most, and without any hesitation. Many of you will agree that India is and will remain Sri Lanka’s most reliable friend and a trusted and dependable partner.

Our bilateral cooperation is expanding and diversifying. It is buttressed by India’s growing national capabilities.
 

We now cooperate in wider range of areas including infrastructure and connectivity, deeper economic engagement, trade and investment, culture and education, tourism and people to people ties.

Like in other areas, we are cooperating closely on security and defence matters. Because of our geography, our security is interlinked and intertwined. And when we speak of security, we must remember that it has acquired a wider meaning than we have traditionally associated with it.
 

After the covid pandemic and impact of Russia-Ukraine conflict, it has come to include energy, health,food and even economic security. This is because technology now permeates all aspects of our lives, and looking at security through a narrow and segmented lens is no longer possible. Our response, therefore, must keep this wider definition in mind. We must also act accordingly to address security in its entirety keeping the complex inter-linkages in mind.
 

Friends,
In recent years, the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat, which means self-reliant India, has led to significant capability development within the Indian defence industry. The Government of India has promoted this vision through enabling policies and frameworks, initiatives such as establishment of defence industry corridors, and supporting and handholding different stakeholders.We have also promoted collaborations between private and government owned enterprises.
 

We have invested in research and development and promoted the use of innovation and new age technologies to build capabilities that are future-ready.

Our efforts are showing rich dividends in the last one decade. The Indian defence industry today rolls out state-of-the-art systems, advanced technologies and world class equipment. To name a few, this ranges from fighter aircrafts and helicopters to naval vessels, from electronic warfare systems to cyber security solutions and from small arms to large caliber precision long range artillery systems.

 
Not only are we producing for our own national requirements, but we have been willing to make these capabilities available to our friendly partner countries like Sri Lanka. In fact, our defence exports today stand at nearly 2.6 billion US Dollars. This is a ten-fold increase over the past five years. We export defence hardware and software to more than 85 countries with more than 100 indigenous firms active in this field.

In this effort, we have relied upon our 16 defence public sector undertakings, which have been the backbone of our defence industrial complex, and supplemented their efforts with a growing private sector participation. Our Innovations for Defence Excellence or iDEX initiative also help us building capabilities in critical and strategic technologies to bridge the gap between the expectations and requirements of the modern Armed Forces by fostering a vibrant defence innovation ecosystem.

Today, India can offer high quality, low cost,and reliable technology in defence with an assured supply chain for long term maintenance support.
 

As in other sectors, our endeavour has been that our growing capabilities must also benefit our neighbours, including Sri Lanka. We are committed to supporting the needs and requirements of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces.
I am therefore happy that the Seminar today will focus on our security and defence cooperation and help identify our shared priorities in this regard. That this Seminar is being held in Sri Lanka for the second time in the last two years underscores the value we attach to our defence partnership with Sri Lanka.
 

The large defence industry delegation from India further underlines our strong commitment to building industrial cooperation in the defence sector in Sri Lanka. We would also be showcasing the various advanced platforms and equipment to enable the Sri Lankan armed forces to familiarize themselves with various capabilities that have been developed indigenously in India. We are confident that these can also become viable, affordable and modern solutions for the Sri Lankan military.

 
I once again thank all of you for participating in this exercise. I wish the seminar and its participants all success. With your close cooperation, we are confident that we will see important and meaningful outcomes.
Thank you.

Senior Vice President of the SLFP, Prof. Rohana Lakshman Piyadasa, yesterday (09) alleged that an attempt was being made to align the SLFP with the UNP ahead of the forthcoming Presidential poll.

The move against former President and party leader Maithripala Sirisena was meant to politically weaken and then oust him, Prof. Piyadasa said.

The one-time General Secretary of the SLFP, Piyadasa also acted as Chairman of the party during the Oct/Nov 2019 presidential polls campaign.

Having failed to make a sizeable section of the SJB parliamentary group switch its allegiance to President Wickremesinghe, the UNP seemed to be hell-bent on taking over the SLFP through deceit, Prof. Piyadasa said.

The SLFPers within the government parliamentary group consisted of 14 MPs – 13 of them elected/appointed on the SLPP ticket/National List. Only one was elected on the SLFP ticket.

Prof. Piyadasa alleged that former President and SLFP leader Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga played a pivotal role in the political project.

The Sirisena loyalist said that Kumaratunga had recently moved Court against the SLFP leader in line with their overall plan.

Responding to another query, Prof. Piyadasa said that the party could have avoided the current crisis if the SLFP group in the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government quit portfolios. Unfortunately, the group declined to do so, the top party official said, adding that, in fact, the party wanted the group to leave the government before Gotabaya Rajapaksa gave up presidency in July 2022.

Narendra Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister in half a century to stir up controversy over India’s “ceding” of Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka.

Having been in office for ten years, he has never said anything controversial regarding that tiny islet in the Palk Strait, but now as India is bracing for the Lok Sabha elections his comments have become a major talking point in the political arena.

It is strongly believed that Modi, who is a leader with overwhelming popular support in North India, will become the Prime Minister for the third time. But Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP ) has been unable to garner significant support in southern states, particularly in Tamil Nadu, which has been ruled by two major Dravidian parties for nearly seven decades. Modi and the BJP are keen to use the Katchatheevu issue, which has been a sensitive issue many decades in Tamil Nadu, to attack the Congress Party and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), both long-time allies.

This is not the first time that Modi has used the Katchatheevu issue to attack the opposition. During a speech in Parliament in August last year, Modi criticised former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for ceding of Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka when she was in power. That speech did not spark a controversy like the current one.

The heat of the Lok Sabha election campaign has naturally turned the spotlight on the current controversy. While interested parties in India are taking sides on the issue depending upon their political likes and dislikes, it has ruffled feathers in Sri Lanka, even though Foreign Minister Ali Sabry has dismissed the issue as a matter of Indian electoral politics which has no bearing on Sri Lanka or Indo-Lankan relations.

The Sri Lankan government is acting with great diplomatic prudence without any official response. Apart from Foreign Minister Sabry, Water Supply Minister Jeevan Thondaman and Fisheries Industry Minister Douglas Devananda have expressed their views.

It is interesting to note that the common view expressed in newspaper editorials both in India and Sri Lanka was that sensitive issues like Katchatheevu should not be exploited for electoral politics in a manner that would affect bilateral relations between India and Sri Lanka.

A Colombo-based English daily wrote that the Indian Prime Minister’s stirring up an issue that has been sensitive in Tamil Nadu will force Sri Lanka to seek friends and security guarantees elsewhere in other regions. The general impression among India’s reputed English newspapers was that Prime Minister Modi had started an unhealthy trend by trying to use an issue that had been resolved years ago for political gain and that he should exercise responsibility when commenting on emotive issues.

Rejecting External Affairs Minister Jaishankar’s comments, The Hindustan Times said that there is no connection between the safety of Indian fishermen and the Katchatheevu issue.

Of course, it is true that the Dravidian parties in Tamil Nadu have been continuously demanding the retrieval of Katchatheevu from Sri Lanka. There had been occasions when former Chief Ministers Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa had approached the Supreme Court to seek redress. But, it has been the firm stand of the Central Governments, whether they were under Congress or BJP, that the Katchatheevu Agreement could not be reversed. But even under new leaderships, the Dravidian parties continue to insist on retrieving the island.

Forced to compete with China in safeguarding its strategic and economic interests in Sri Lanka, it is imperative for India not to engage in actions that could unnecessarily antagonise Colombo.

It should be noted that as national elections are approaching in Sri Lanka also, there is a danger that Sinhalese nationalist political forces may intensify their anti-India propaganda.

In this context it is worth pointing out that though Modi is using Kachchatheevu to attack Congress and DMK, he is not saying that he will retrieve the island.

Be that as it may, the comments made by former Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India and experienced Administrative Service officer Austin Fernando’s to the Indian Express last week are noteworthy. He said: ” The Bharatiya Janata does not have enough people’s support in Tamil Nadu, so it seems that they have stirred up the Katchatheevu issue now. But since the Bharatiya Janata Party will win nationally, it will be difficult for the central government to get out of the Katchatheevu issue after the elections. We and they should think about this.”

In its editorial, Colombo-based Sunday Times said: “It was a matter of time before the upcoming general election campaign rhetoric in India was to spill over to Sri Lanka. This time it was no less a persona than its Prime Minister who obliged with his choir of senior ministers in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) joining in singing from the same hymn sheet.”

“It was a marked departure from the usual. Normally, it is the Tamil Nadu politicians who use the ‘Sri Lanka card’ for electioneering. This time it has come from the Centre itself. Snubbed by the southern parties that have refused to join in an electoral alliance with the BJP, the ruling party has dusted off old archival material relating to a 1974 bilateral agreement between India and Sri Lanka over the sovereignty of the islet of Katchatheevu and slammed the Opposition Congress Party and the Tamil Nadu regional party, the DMK for it.”

“Regardless of the ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy it otherwise professes, India’s Foreign Minister made his way to the BJP headquarters wearing the party hat rather than his ministerial hat to give a news conference early one morning this week following his Prime Minister’s tweet over what the PM called was the ‘callousness’ of the Congress/DMK combine over the Katchatheevu agreement. The Minister gave his own version of history selectively quoting speeches from yesteryear to argue his brief – slamming the long departed Nehrus and the DMK leaders for what, according to him, amounted to treachery on their part.”

“In doing so, the Minister not only insulted his predecessors in office, both the senior officials and politicians but gave the impression that the then Indian Government gave Katchatheevu on a platter to Sri Lanka. In the process he lost sight of his own Government’s stance on a ‘rules-based world order’, touted at the recent G20 summit and elsewhere.”

“The Minister rattled off statistics showing the number of Indian fishermen and fishing boats that have been detained by Sri Lanka in the past five years to pin the blame on the 1974 agreement on the sovereignty of Katchatheevu and a subsequent 1976 agreement on fishing rights. It was a self-admission that these fishermen and their boats were violating those operative treaties – and in the past five years, when his party was in Government.”

“It was also an admission that all the years of talks on the continuing fishing disputes in the waters around Katchatheevu in Sri Lankan territorial waters are bogus discussions as far as his Government is concerned. That their only concern is the livelihood of the fishermen on their side of the IMBL (International Maritime Boundary Line), not the livelihood of the Sri Lankan fishermen in North Sri Lanka about whom they shed tears from time to time demanding Colombo see to their self-respect and welfare.”

“Whether this is all election rhetoric and posturing for the Tamil Nadu elections that begin later this month is to be seen. The Indian Foreign Minister stopped short of outlining his Government’s intentions other than saying a ‘solution’ must be found.”

“What transpires from the latest comments by the Indian Centre is that there seems little sacrosanct value attached to its international treaties. Pacta sunt servanda (agreements must be kept), is the oldest principle in international law. Ten to 50 years later, to question treaties its own Government had signed with sovereign countries is a dangerous precedent. Particularly when the Indian Government of today is pressing Sri Lanka to sign a number of agreements with it for the future.”

“Only last week, we wrote of India’s latest moves to make a bid to explore for minerals on the seabed in a patch of the ocean that Sri Lanka has already claimed under the UN Convention of the Law of the Seas.”

“As India pursues an aggressive foreign policy, ‘Why Bharat Matters’ is significant for Sri Lanka. In his 2024 book with that title, the Indian Foreign Minister makes it clear that: “A nationalist outlook will naturally produce a nationalist diplomacy, and it is something that the world will need to get used to.”

“Meanwhile, the seas around the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar on Sri Lanka’s side very soon will be a Dead Sea with the rape of its marine resource due to over-fishing by bottom trawling; pair trawling and IUU (Illegal, Unreported, Unregulated) practices.”

“While Indian politicians wash their political linen in public, the Sri Lankan polity needs to be on high alert to any sea change in foreign policy coming from across the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar.”

In its editorial, The Morning said: “Populist politics has been the bane of Asian democracies, with the use of such often coming out of hibernation during election seasons. The recent revival of the Katchatheevu Island issue in New Delhi, and its use by Indian Premier Narendra Modi to fuel criticism of his political rivals is a matter of political expediency. It risks eroding a bank of goodwill India has worked tirelessly to build in Sri Lanka since 2014, and especially since effort invested following the Covid-19 Pandemic/economic crisis period. This unnecessary move, possibly aimed at short-term political gain before polls, and merely months after India’s debacle in the Maldives, where today China is gaining influence, will do little to consolidate cross Palk Strait relations.”

“And Indo-Lanka relations have been growing steadily over the last few years. Since the matter was resolved in 1976, successive Indian governments have over the last fifty years upheld that the Katchatheevu issue is resolved. In 2008, the Indian Government informed the judiciary that no territory belonging to India was yielded to Sri Lanka. As nothing was ‘ceded’ there is nothing to find a ‘solution’ for.”

“The use of diplomatically sensitive issues for domestic political expediency, certainly will not help India’s ‘Security and Growth for All in the Region’ (SAGAR) policy, which the growing regional power claims is aimed at deepening economic and security cooperation with its maritime neighbours and assist in building their maritime security capabilities. How, sensationalising and resurrecting settled maritime issues with their smaller Indian Ocean island nations, which help India strengthen regional maritime security is baffling. Particularly as the rampant Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing by South Indian trawlers have ruined the livelihoods of the fishing communities in the North and East of Sri Lanka.”

“That practice has today snowballed into a serious national security concern for Sri Lanka. In 1987 India pushed Sri Lanka to add the 13th amendment to the Constitution, which New Delhi claimed was aimed at securing the political rights of the Tamil speaking communities in the North of Sri Lanka. However, India ironically will not act to uphold the economic rights of the same Tamil communities in the North, with daily incursion by thousands of South Indian trawlers, which employ destructive fishing techniques such as the banned bottom trawling.”

“It is judicious that Sri Lanka has not made a ‘knee jerk’ response to the statements. Especially, as no official communication on the issue has been made officially by New Delhi to Colombo as of yet, to the best of our knowledge. Colombo should not get entangled in New Delhi’s internal populist politics. There is no need to escalate this ‘election rhetoric’ to one of bilateral nature. However, the relentless provoking claims on Sri Lankan territory, especially from the senior government figures in New Delhi will do little for Sri Lanka to build stronger kinship with India. Given the ‘Rising Asian Tiger’ relations with its immediate neighbourhood, New Delhi would be prudent not to overplay its hand. The Indian administration is surely aware of the many other powers who would wish to take advantage of the erosion of goodwill between the Palk Strait neighbours.”

President Ranil Wickremesinghe attended a gathering of Local Government Chairmen from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), orchestrated by the Local Government Members’ Forum of the SLPP.

The meeting, held at the President’s House in Kandy yesterday (07), served as a platform for the SLPP members to reaffirm their support for the President.

Addressing the gathering, President Wickremesinghe announced plans to establish an advisory organization comprising former local government Chairmen.

This organization will serve to facilitate communication between the government and rural communities, disseminating information about initiatives aimed at bolstering the country’s economy.

Furthermore, President Wickremesinghe outlined the implementation of a mechanism to directly relay village-specific issues to both the President and the Prime Minister.

This initiative aims to streamline the feedback process, ensuring timely and effective resolution of local concerns.

The President encouraged former local government Chairmen to actively participate in the on-going government programs such as the “Aswesuma” initiative and the “Urumaya” land deed program, assuring them of necessary support and facilities.

Additionally, he emphasized the importance of involving youth from local government areas as pioneers in executing government initiatives.

These meetings were attended by Minister Manusha Nanayakkara, Senior Advisor to the President on National Security and Chief of Presidential Staff Sagala Ratnayaka, as well as the General Secretary of the UNP Palitha Range Bandara.

Sri Lanka’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe has stressed on the importance of legalizing the agreement with the IMF to ensure that its benefits can be realized for the people of Sri Lanka.

Highlighting the collaboration with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as a crucial step towards revitalizing Sri Lanka’s economy, President Wickremesinghe underscored the necessity of legalizing the agreements with the IMF to ensure that the benefits reach the people swiftly.

Moreover, the President expressed plans to introduce a new legal framework geared towards modernization across various sectors. He sought the support of the legal community for these initiatives, emphasizing the significance of their involvement in advancing these efforts.

Addressing a gathering, President Ranil Wickremesinghe emphasized the critical decision facing Sri Lanka regarding its program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

He highlighted the country’s history of reversing decisions after agreeing to IMF programs and stressed that this represents the nation’s final opportunity for economic recovery.

President Wickremesinghe underscored the importance of legalizing the agreement with the IMF to ensure that its benefits can be realized for the people of Sri Lanka.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe expressed confidence in the potential for revitalizing the country’s economy, citing abundant physical and human resources available in Sri Lanka.

He highlighted the success stories of Sri Lankan businessmen operating internationally and the country’s dominance in key sectors including tea plantation and apparel industry.

President Wickremesinghe emphasized the importance of leveraging these strengths to transition towards an export-oriented economy, urging attention to be directed towards exploring new fields for further growth and expansion.