India-Sri Lanka Relations GS: 2 "EMPOWER IAS"

In news:

• By making New Delhi their first stop abroad, Sri Lanka’s new President Gotabaya Rajapaksa (who visited in November) and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa (recently) have signalled hope of beginning a new India-Sri Lanka chapter. 

 

Outcomes of Srilankan PM visit to India

1. Line of Credit: Mahinda Rajapaksa has also discussed extending the $400-million Line of Credit and India’s further assistance for nationwide housing. 
2. Air connectivity: to Sri Lanka’s north and east is already being improved — there is a flight from India to Jaffna, and another one being proposed for Batticaloa. 
3. On security: 

• The two PM discussed intelligence sharing, training and the utilisation of a special $50-million Line of Credit extended by India after last year’s Easter Sunday bombings. 
• India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives are expected to revive their trilateral on security, including joint maritime security talks and anti-terror cooperation. 

4. Working on development projects: including a joint India-Japan proposal for the East Container Terminal at Colombo.

Background of Sri Lanka, its Civil War and India angle

Great Britain ruled Sri Lanka—then called Ceylon—from 1815 to 1948. British brought in approximately a million Tamil speakers from India to work as plantation laborers. Tamils and Sinhalese are the two major ethnic groups In Sri Lanka. The Ceylon Citizenship Act of 1948 effectively barred Indian Tamils from holding citizenship, making stateless people out of some 700,000.  This was not remedied until 2003, and anger over such measures fueled the bloody rioting. In 1976 Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was formed to fight for Tamil rights and in 1983 Civil war started. The Tamil Tigers declared the "First Eelam War" (1983-87) with the aim of creating a separate Tamil state in northern Sri Lanka called Eelam.  It was later shown that India was arming and training Tamil guerrillas in camps in southern India. Relations between the Sri Lankan government and India deteriorated. The Indo-Sri Lanka Peace Accord was signed in Colombo on 29 July 1987. The accord was expected to resolve the Sri Lankan Civil War by enabling the thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka and the Provincial Councils Act of 1987.  Under the terms of the agreement, Colombo agreed to a devolution of power to the provinces, the Sri Lankan troops were to be withdrawn to their barracks in the north and the Tamil rebels were to surrender their arms. 1987 Peacekeeping Mission: India was concerned about separatism in its own Tamil region, Tamil Nadu, as well as a potential flood of refugees from Sri Lanka. The peacekeepers' mission was to disarm militants on both sides, in preparation for peace talks. The Indian peacekeeping force of 100,000 troops not only was unable to quell the conflict, it actually began fighting with the Tamil Tigers. In 1990, Sri Lanka forced India to recall its peacekeepers; 1,200 Indian soldiers had died battling the insurgents.  The following year, a Tamil suicide bomber assassinated Rajiv Gandhi at an election rally. President Premadasa would die in a similar attack in May 1993.   Second Eelam War After the peacekeepers withdrew, the Sri Lankan Civil War entered an even bloodier phase, which the Tamil Tigers named the Second Eelam War. The government troops could not capture Jaffna itself despite repeated assaults in 1992-93.   Third Eelam War The September 11 attacks in the United States and the subsequent War on Terror made it more difficult for the Tamil Tigers to get overseas funding and support. The United States also began to offer direct aid to the Sri Lankan government, despite its terrible human rights record over the course of the civil war. Throughout 2002 and 2003, the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tigers negotiated various ceasefires mediated by the Norwegians.  On May 16, 2009, the Sri Lankan government declared victory over the Tamil Tigers.  The devastating conflict had finally ended after 26 years with hideous atrocities on both sides, and some 100,000 deaths.  The only question remaining is whether the perpetrators of those atrocities will face trials for their crimes.

 

Background:

India-Sri Lanka Relations: Areas of cooperation

Cultural Relations

• The People of Indian Origin (PIOs) comprise Sindhis, Gujaratis, Memons, Parsis, Malayalis and Telugu speaking persons who have settled down in Sri Lanka and are engaged in various business ventures.
• Though their numbers (10,000 approx.) are much lesser as compared to Indian Origin Tamils (IOTs), they are economically prosperous and are well settled. Each of these communities has their own groups which organize festivals and cultural events.
• The Cultural Cooperation Agreement has been signed between both the countries.
• The Indian Cultural Centre in Colombo actively promotes awareness of Indian culture by offering classes in Indian music, dance, Hindi, and Yoga. Every year, cultural troops from both countries exchange visits.
• Buddhism is a connecting link between India and Sri Lanka on religious lines.
• Education is another important area of cooperation between India and Sri Lanka. India offers scholarship slots annually to deserving Sri Lankan students.
• Tourism also forms an important link between India and Sri Lanka. India is the largest source of market for Sri Lankan tourism.

 

Trade Relations:

• Sri Lanka is India’s second largest trading partner in SAARC.
• India and Sri Lanka signed FTA in 1998, which facilitated increased trade relations between the two countries.
• Sri Lanka has long been a priority destination for direct investment from India. India is among the top four investors in Sri Lanka with cumulative investments of over US$ 1 billion since 2003.
• Economic and Technological Cooperation Agreement (ETCA): The proposed ETCA between India and Sri Lanka would facilitate trade in services, investments and technological cooperation. With ETCA signed, Indian investments will flow into Sri Lanka to make the island’s production facilities part of the Indian and international value chain.

 

Commercial Relations

• Sri Lanka has long been a priority destination for direct investment from India.
• Sri Lanka is one of India’s largest trading partners among the SAARC countries. India in turn is Sri Lanka’s largest trade partner globally.
• India’s exports to Sri Lanka amounted to $5.3 billion in 2015-17 whereas its imports from the country were at $743 million.
• Trade between the two countries grew particularly rapidly after the India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement which came into force in March 2000.
• While Sri Lankan exports to India have increased substantially during the past several years since 2000 when ISFTA came into force.
• However, there has been a high growth in India’s exports to Sri Lanka, resulting in a widening of the balance of trade. This is largely because of the lack of export capacity from Sri Lanka to service Indian requirement and also due to increase in imports from India because of competitiveness of our exports.

India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (ISFTA) The main framework for bilateral trade has been provided by the India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (ISFTA) that was signed in 1998 and entered into force in March 2000. The basic premise in signing the ISFTA was asymmetries between the two economies, local socio-economic sensitivities, safeguard measures to protect domestic interests, and revenue implications so as not to impact high revenue generating tariff lines in the short term. In a nutshell, India sought to do more without insisting on strict reciprocity from Sri Lanka. This is reflected in the respective obligations of the two countries under the ISFTA where India agreed to open more tariff lines upfront and within a shorter time span of three years as against smaller and more staggered openings by Sri Lanka which was provided a longer time of eight years. In order to receive ISFTA benefits, the merchandise exported between India and Sri Lanka should comply with the Rules of Origin criteria.

 

Cultural and Educational Relations:

• The Cultural Cooperation Agreement signed by the two Governments on 29 November, 1977, forms the basis for periodic Cultural Exchange Programmes between the two countries.
• The Indian Cultural Centre in Colombo actively promotes awareness of Indian culture by offering classes in Indian music, dance, Hindi and Yoga. Every year, cultural troupes from both countries exchange visits.
• India and Sri Lanka commemorated the 2600th year of the attainment of enlightenment by Lord Buddha (Sambuddhathva Jayanthi) through joint activities.
• The two Governments also celebrated the 150th Anniversary of Anagarika Dharmapala in 2014.
• The India-Sri Lanka Foundation, set up in December 1998 as an intergovernmental initiative, also aims towards enhancement of scientific, technical, educational and cultural cooperation through civil society exchanges and enhancing contact between the younger generations of the two countries.
• Education is an important area of cooperation. India now offers about 290 scholarship slots annually to Sri Lankan students.
• In addition, under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Scheme and the Colombo Plan, India offers 370 slots annually to Sri Lankan nationals.
• Government of India formally launched the e-Tourist Visa (eTV) scheme for Sri Lankan tourists on 14 April 2015 to increase the people to people contact
• Subsequently, in a goodwill gesture, the visa fee for eTV was sharply reduced.

 

Indian Community:

• The People of Indian Origin (PIOs) comprise Sindhis, Borahs, Gujaratis, Memons, Parsis, Malayalis and Telugu speaking persons who have settled down in Sri Lanka (most of them after partition) and are engaged in various business ventures.
• Though their numbers are much lesser as compared to Indian Origin Tamils (IOTs), they are economically prosperous and are well placed.
• Each of these communities has their organization which organizes festivals and cultural events.
• The IOTs are mostly employed in either tea or rubber plantations in Central, Uva and Sabaragamuwa Provinces though during the last decade, the younger generation has been migrating to Colombo in search of employment.

 

Significance of India –Sri Lanka relations

• Sri Lanka is strategically located in the Indian Ocean, just a few kilometers from the Indian coast and near one of the busiest sea lanes in the world – one that carries much of the oil.
• Indo-Chinese competition in the Indian Ocean: India believes that China’s interest in Sri Lanka and its growing footprint there is part of an encirclement strategy to contain India.
• India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ Policy : Sri Lanka is at the core of our 'Neighbourhood First' policy and Sagar doctrine.
• The Sri Lankan Tamils — India is concerned about the plight of Sri Lankan Tamils devastated by war and is working for their rehabilitation.
• Maritime interests: it is important for the coast guards of the two countries to establish the safety and security of the Indian Ocean region. 
• “Strategic significance” of the nuclear agreement : Sri Lanka’s decision to sign a nuclear agreement with India rather than Pakistan, with which it had explored a similar pact two years ago, “shows the importance Sri Lanka attaches to its relations with New Delhi.”
• International cooperation: 
  • Sri Lanka is an active partner in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) . 
  • Sri Lanka, with its geo-strategic location as well as its diverse experience in maritime safety and security issues, contributes much to Indian Ocean Rim Association – IORA. 
  • Both countries also cooperate in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

 

 

India-Sri Lanka: Issues and Conflicts

Strategic Issues

• In the period of low profile relationship between the two nations, SL apparently started favoring China over India.
• Over the years Chinese funds started flowing, it has started big buck infrastructure projects in the island nation. The presence of China in Sri Lanka increased significantly in the recent years.
• As part of Maritime Silk Route (MSR) policy, China built two ports, one in Colombo and another in Hambantota.
• China has also collaborated in satellite launching activities with Supreme SAT (Pvt.), Sri Lanka’s only satellite operator.

• No commitment on Tamilian issue: India hopes that the expectations of the Tamil people for equality, justice, peace, and respect  would be realised and that devolution of powers according to the 13th amendment would be taken forward. But Colombo  has given no commitment on this.
• Case for special status: India’s case for the special status for the North and East also comes as contrary to the Indian  government’s strong stand about removal of the special status for Jammu and Kashmir. 
• Green signal on infrastructure projects awaited: The present Srilankan government has ruled out taking forward the MoU signed by his predecessor allowing Indian participation in energy and infrastructure projects in Trincomalee and Indian stake in Mattala airport. 
• Help to deal with the debt crisis: Colombo has appealed to India to help Sri Lanka deal with its debt crisis nearly $60-billion outstanding in foreign and domestic. Seeing India’s own socio-economic investment needs, lending hands from Indian side seems difficult.
• China factor: China has been the largest supplier of arms to Sri Lanka since the 1950s. In 2014 Sri Lanka allowed two Chinese submarines and a warship to dock at its port in Colombo. This was seen as a major breach of trust between New Delhi and Colombo and also heightened tensions with Beijing. 
• Belt and Road initiative: As part of the Maritime Silk Route (MSR) policy, China built two ports, one in Colombo and another in Hambantota.
• Sri Lanka’s security dilemma: Growing too close to China could create problems with India while leaning too much in favor of India could affect Chinese military sales to the country and other aspects of their bilateral relationship. 

1. India’s efforts to counter China

• Trincomalee Port: India is also planning to build Trincomalee Port which is envisioned as an Indian counterweight to Chinese developments at Hambantota Port.
• International support: In 2014 India abstained from voting on a UNHRC resolution calling for a probe into alleged war crimes by Sri Lanka Pakistan and China voted against the resolution.

• Fishing issues: The Palk Bay region has become a highly contested site in recent decades. Multiple issues include ongoing disagreement over, frequent poaching by Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan waters, and the damaging economic and environmental effects of trawling.
• Island of Kachchatheevu: Through the 1974 agreement, India agreed to Sri Lanka's sovereignty over Katchchativu but with some safeguards to its Indian fishermen through Article 5 but it was vague enough for the Sri Lankan government to deny the fishing rights. Tamil Nadu is seeking the retrieval of Kachchatheevu from Sri Lanka.

 

Way forward

• Expediting delivery of projects: India’s plans to counter Chinese investment will be tested by the pace of delivery of projects like the joint India-Japan agreement to develop the East Container Terminal at Colombo harbour, and other projects like the offer to operate the Mattala Airport.
• Sino-Indian cooperation for Sri Lankan neutrality: China and India, should share investment responsibilities in Sri Lanka so that Sri Lanka remains neutral vis a vis India and China. 
• Fishing issues: India should persuade Colombo to permit licensed Indian fishermen to fish in Sri Lankan waters for five nautical miles from the IMBL.
  • Proposed solutions, could include limiting the days, timeframe, and location for fishing and an immediate end to bottom trawling.
• Counter-terrosism: the two countries must improve cooperation in counter-terror training as India has vast experience in this arena.s
• Maritime cooperation: It may include measures such as joint naval patrolling, controlling of smuggling and piratical activities, and the strengthening of communication networks.
• Neutral approach: India must avoid touting governments in Sri Lanka as pro-China or Pro- India. This way it can improve the relations freely without any baggage.
• Resolving territorial issues: Two courses of action exist: (1) get back the island of Kachchatheevu on “lease in perpetuity” or (2) permit licensed Indian fishermen to fish within a designated area of Sri Lankan waters and vice versa. The Tin Bigha case is a good example to emulate.
• The recent visits by Srilankan dignitaries reaffirmed the belief that among Sri Lanka’s friendships, India is seen as a relative, given their history and culture. Therefore, both sides need to work to strengthen their bonhomie and work to minimize the  fault lines.

 

Source)

https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/first-call/article30795271.ece