Sri Lanka's then defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa — a brother of the former president — complained about the agent's activities to Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval in November when Doval was visiting the island nation for a defence seminar
What is the silly link you are talking about?chetak wrote: Why do we need to spend many tens of thousands of crores for some silly link when we are never going to win any popularity contests there?? just like nepal, bangladesh and maldives, every one of them continue to play us off against the chinese and the pakis and we haven't learned anything yet??
Too Much China Connection?
By Laksiri Fernando
Excessive reliance on another is not good for a person or a country. This is exactly what is happening today in Sri Lanka. The repercussions of such a policy will be disastrous for democracy and also the economy. Already the consequences are visible in both spheres.
“Like getting chillies by giving ginger” (inguru dila miris gaththa wagai) is a common saying in the country. Origins of the proverb go back to early 17th century when King Rajasinghe II invited the Dutch to defeat the Portuguese and then at the end the Dutch colonised the country. This is also what happened when the British came.
Of course the Western powers (Portuguese, the Dutch and the British) used force to seek alliances and colonise the country. That was a few centuries ago. It was somewhat in desperation that the Kings or the Nobles sided with one against the other. The colonisation was largely unintentional on the part of the locals (kings or the nobles).
However today, the submission for virtual colonisation is willingly done, and voluntary on the part of the political leaders. The reasons are so seemingly obvious; money and power. The ordinary people are mere victims of this process. It is a mind boggling questions how an Eastern colonisation (Chinese) is better than a Western colonisation (British or American). This is the twenty first century and not the sixteenth or the nineteenth century. Colonisations of all forms and from all quarters are inimical to any country’s independence and wellbeing.
Ancient relations
Sri Lanka China relations have a long history. The famous Chinese monk Faxian came to the country in the 5th century to study Theravada Buddhism. It was a spiritual venture. There have been further contacts between the two countries, although not very prominent, as Sri Lanka was on the sea lanes of the silk-road. Most prominent among these contacts was Admiral Zheng, whose adventures and confrontations with the Kotte kingdom in early 15th century is known.
China those days was looking beyond the usual trade or commerce with other countries perhaps like today. It was the second phase under the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It was akin to an initial form of colonisation effort or at least a strategy of string of pearls’ like today. Zheng had several voyages via Ceylon and wanted port facilities in Galle and Colombo. The exact history of the confrontation is not clear. However, when Alakeshvara, who was first a military commander/minister and then the real Kotte ruler, broke his promises to the Chinese, he and his entourage/family were taken prisoner to Nanjing in 1411. According to the Collected Works of Yong Rong (1515), the following was what happened in brief.
“Straight-away, their dens and hideouts we ravaged,
And made captive that entire country,
Bringing back to our august capital,
Their women, children, families and retainers, leaving not one,
Cleaning out in a single sweep those noxious pests, as if winnowing chaff from grain…
These insignificant worms, deserving to die ten thousand times over, trembling in fear…
Did not even merit the punishment of Heaven.
Thus the august emperor spared their lives,
And they humbly kowtowed, making crude sounds
Praising the sage-like virtue of the imperial Ming ruler.”
Undoubtedly there were exaggerations in the description. However, the conflict as a result of either broken promises to the Chinese or because of Chinese over ambitions in Ceylon is true. It is unclear how the colonial ambitions of the Ming Dynasty died down in Greater and South Asia thereafter. If not, Ceylon could have been a colony of the Chinese even before the Portuguese. When it comes to colonialism or colonial influence, whether it comes from the West or the East doesn’t make much difference. To overlook this fact might be a terrible mistake in politics.
Present dilemma
China Sri Lanka relations have been immensely useful and pleasing after independence. Sri Lanka was one of the first countries to recognise the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) after the revolution in 1949 although formal diplomatic relations started later. The relations became launched with the Rubber-Rice Pact in 1952 in the trading sphere. The relations further bloomed particularly during Sirimavo Bandaranaike’s period.
A Chinese academic once told me that she was one of the small girls who welcomed Mrs. Bandaranaike with bouquet of flowers in 1972. They undoubtedly had a good impression of her and the country. These also were the days of the Non-Align Movement (NAM). The BMICH in 1975 and the Exhibition and Convention Hall next door to the BMICH in 1998 were outright gifts of the Chinese.
The times have now undoubtedly changed. China today is more for business than for generosity or mutual relations. There is no question about that, if Sri Lanka is careful enough in these business dealings. It is not directly the Chinese government that deals with Sri Lanka today but some of the major companies and banks, of course under the patronage of the Chinese government.
Even on Sri Lanka’s part, those who deal with the Chinese companies or governmental corporations are allegedly not the properly appointed government officials or the business leaders, but the political cronies or the intermediaries of the ruling government. Most damaging has been the bypassing of tender and evaluation procedures. It is equally despicable to hear how some of the ministers openly defend these deals on the basis of quick decision making.
This writer does not intend to go into the details of these allegedly dubious business deals. Some of them are already exposed in Parliament and in writings of other authors. The purpose of this article is only to highlight the dangers of these business deals in terms of foreign policy (externally) and good governance (internally). However, two of the examples are as follows.
Port City. A major investor in the so-called Colombo Port City project is the notoriously corrupt China Communications Construction Company (CCCC). The whole venture has been agreed upon without any consideration for the environmental damage to the coastline of the Western Province. The project will not benefit the ordinary people, but the big business tycoons and China’s desire for a string of pearls.
Railway, Highway Costs. Costs for the railway lines or road constructions speak loudly for the underlying corruption. Beliatte-Matara Rs 1,430 million. Peliyagoda-Katunayake Rs 1,890 million. Pinnaduwa- Matara Rs 2,700 million and Kadawatha-Kerawalapitiya Rs 7,560 million. One may think this is for the whole construction. Alas, No. This is only for one kilo metre! Look at the discrepancies of the costs.
I am here not even talking about the well-known projects like Mattala Airport. The operational loss last year was a staggering Rs. 2,750 million. It is possible that the presidential election was called in advance before these mega deals would become completely exposed.
Consequences
Sri Lanka undoubtedly is located at a strategic place where East and West meet in some measure at least at sea lanes. This was something emphasised by Professor A. J. Wilson in his Politics in Sri Lanka (Macmillan 1974). This was acknowledged even in ancient times. With the East fast developing today, the strategic importance of Sri Lanka is undoubtedly increased. That is the reason for the notion of Hubs.
However, it is not only one country that Sri Lanka should be concerned about in this equation from the East. India is the closest country to Sri Lanka both geographically and culturally. Japan has been a traditional friend of Sri Lanka like China. Apart from South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore, Indonesia is a fast developing country in Southeast Asia. Australia is also an important partner in the Indian Ocean region and now an integral part of Asia.
On the Western side, beyond the Middle East, we do have our proper Western partners. We also should not ignore the interests of the countries in the African continent. Whatever the frictions at present or in the past, Sri Lanka’s interests dictate us to deal with the Western countries in an amicable and a diplomatic manner. That has been the major orientation of our admired non-aligned policy in the past.
Chinese President Xi Jinping stated during his visit to Sri Lanka recently that the two countries can set a good example of how countries of different sizes can live in amity and cooperate with each other for mutual benefit. That is true. However, China’s recent relations with some small countries in its immediate perimetres are not so good. Vietnam is one example. China is no longer the socialist country that many of us in Sri Lanka admired during our young days. During my last sabbatical in Japan (2005-2006), a Chinese Professor, who is now working in Japan told me that China is now more capitalist than Japan? He was referring not only to the welfare system, but also the way the business ventures are being conducted.
China of course has been defending Sri Lanka or rather the regime against the accusations on human rights violations by the Western countries in international for a, some reasonable and others excessive or exaggerated. However, China’s human rights record itself is abysmal.
The price given for the defence of the regime should not be total submission to a single country in international relations. Of course it is described as defence of the country. It is possible that China is not directly asking for a price. It is more of a case of our present leaders offering the submission even without asking. Another obvious inducement for this submission appears to be the commissions that they accrue through the business deals.
Even from the West, there have been strings attached to aid, loans or even trade. But nothing reported as giving commissions. The regime’s present mood is against the West, at least in rhetoric. However, Sri Lanka should not go back to the traditional predicament of what happened when you exchange chilies for ginger.
Another major China repercussion is on governance. China is a one party state and not democratic. Human rights records are appalling. Principles of rule of law if you can call such – or division of functions between institutions (what we call independence in our parlance) are at least different. Even if there are few positive changes in terms of governance or democracy, it is a long way to go. It is a distant dream. Under the circumstances, it is completely foolish for Sri Lanka to emulate China in any manner in terms of governance, citing efficiency or development.
the multiple road and rail link between the island and the mainlandSwamyG wrote:What is the silly link you are talking about?chetak wrote: Why do we need to spend many tens of thousands of crores for some silly link when we are never going to win any popularity contests there?? just like nepal, bangladesh and maldives, every one of them continue to play us off against the chinese and the pakis and we haven't learned anything yet??
The smaller states are bound to get the best they can out of larger countries like India and China, but that does not mean India's influence in those states need to be reduced. It is not about popularity contests. This is just like how less powerful states like India make the best of their relationships with more powerful states in the world by working/playing both of them. Nothing to get all hot and bothered about.Why do we need to spend many tens of thousands of crores for some silly link when we are never going to win any popularity contests there?? just like nepal, bangladesh and maldives, every one of them continue to play us off against the chinese and the pakis and we haven't learned anything yet??
The refugees don't want to go back. They are angling for Indian citizenship.Tuvaluan wrote:http://indianexpress.com/article/india/ ... -refugees/
New govt. is being more proactive on talking about the refugee situation in SL/TN. Good indicators.
We should give them Indian citizenship. It is long overdue and I hope BJP government does the right thing here. Many people who have done ground work there and know the state of refugees have asked for granting of citizenship (after intelligence vetting of course). It is not just local TN politicians but spiritual leaders like Sri Sri Ravishankar ji who have asked for this.Tuvaluan wrote:http://indianexpress.com/article/india/ ... -refugees/
New govt. is being more proactive on talking about the refugee situation in SL/TN. Good indicators.
Why should that be done? SL problems are now pretty much solved and Tamil refugees can just go back to their home country. Please note, this is unlike the case of Hindus in PK and BD. Where they are still actively persecuted. What advantage does India get by granting citizenship to all SL refugees?schinnas wrote:We should give them Indian citizenship. It is long overdue and I hope BJP government does the right thing here.
I take it that you did not read all my posts here earlier... It would have been obvious to anyone watching the events in SL closely (except to the likes of Su Swamy and Cho types - or those gentlemen knew but willingly spread misinformation with statements supporting Rajapakse) that Rajapakse was a disaster for SL, India and letting that war criminal run that country will not help heal wounds and develop harmony in that island.chetak wrote:
Did we really do it??
Was RAW Colombo chief shifted due to role in Rajapaksa's poll defeat?
Govt. to end contract with costly US PR firms - FMSL election won by the people, not by RAW-Mangala
2015-01-19 10:37:22
Sri Lanka’s election was won by its people, the country’s new Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera said in a sharp response to a Reuters report that the R&AW station chief in Colombo had been “expelled” for helping the Opposition to victory in the island nation.
“There is no substance in the report at all,” Mr. Samaraweera, who held talks with his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj, told The Hindu on Sunday evening, echoing the sentiments expressed by the External Affairs Ministry in Delhi. It is the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister’s first visit abroad.
The Reuters news agency reported that the “expulsion” of India’s spy agency chief in Sri Lanka had happened when Mahinda Rajapaksa was President. Previously, a Sri Lankan newspaper had carried the report as a diary item.
“Postings and transfers are in the public domain; when Indian diplomats go, the dates are announced and when they leave Sri Lanka, the dates are available. The dates are in public domain of all Indian diplomats, whether they have completed three years or not,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said on the issue earlier in the day.
Stressing that he had had cordial discussions with Ms. Swaraj, Mr. Samaraweera said that Sri Lanka’s foreign policy needed a “course correction” and that would happen in the first 100 days of the Maithripala Sirisena presidency.
Asked if by “course correction” he meant addressing the pro-China tilt, Mr. Samaraweera said that under Mahinda Rajapaksa Colombo had followed a “paranoid” foreign policy and had become alienated internationally as well.
The course correction would include all elements, Mr. Samaraweera, who once served as Foreign Minister under former President, told this newspaper in a telephone conversation. “We will put our foreign policy on a firm foundation in the next 100 days,” he stressed.
On his talks with Ms. Swaraj, Mr. Saramaweera said they discussed a range of issues and Sri Lanka looked forward to “close coordination” with India.
Referring to the talks, Mr. Akbaruddin said, “India and Sri Lanka have decided to re-engage on the issue of repatriation of refugees currently in India. The talks between officials on this matter will begin before the end of this month.”
The talks included areas of political and economic cooperation, the new government’s efforts in the reconciliation process, the development partnership between the two neighbours and fishermen related issues, he explained.
Mr. Samaraweera informed Ms. Swraj that the modus operandi for the return of 87 Indian fishing boats was being worked out. Ms. Swaraj has accepted an invitation to visit Colombo for the ninth meeting of the India- Sri Lanka Joint Commission. Mr. Samaraweera is also carrying an invitation for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.(The Hindu)
- See more at: http://www.dailymirror.lk/61561/sri-lan ... b2lVG.dpuf
EXPOSE THE OLD REGIME OR RISK ITS RETURN
2015-01-19
Our ‘democratic spring’ could well be short lived
President Maithripala Sirisena has asked exiled journalists to return, promising an end to attacks on media and the culture of impunity. The new media minister Gayantha Karunathilaka echoed the same assurance when he assumed duties last week.
As of now, the new President has remained true to his promises; he has shown no interest in personal aggrandisement and shown a flexibility - unseen in his predecessor- in the national question.
He appointed a civilian governor for the Northern Province; removed restrictions on travel in the North and East by foreign passport holders, unblocked dissenting websites and promised a fresh investigation into the assassination of Lasantha Wickrematunge.
And he has gone an extra mile, shunning a second term and then, most unexpectedly, telling his supporters and coterie of turncoats to remove cutouts and banners that they have put up in his honour and to desist from doing that in the future.
That is a remarkable gesture of integrity, which not only his predecessor, Mahinda Rajapaksa, but his mentor, Chandrika Kumaratunga were not capable of in their time.
President Sirisena could well be an accidental leader, but, he is surely representing higher political values than most of his counterparts.
The regime of his predecessor thrived in a fear psychosis and conspiracy theories which provided a justification of its military centric rule in the North and authoritarianism in the South.
President Sirisena is gradually debunking those fallacies.
Under his presidency, Sri Lanka may be experiencing a democratic spring. But, I have my fingers crossed: the days of new found optimism could well be short lived; whatever the democratic reforms undertaken during the first 100 days of Sirisena’s Presidency risks being overturned.
Mahinda Rajapaksa may return with a vengeance. Exiled journalists and dissidents that the new government is courting back would have to defend themselves from marauding white vans, hired thugs and military intelligence units.
Tamils and Muslims who voted Sirisena to power in en-masse would pay a price for their insubordination. Lake House and Rupavahini would resume singing paeans to the Rajapaksas. Hudson Samarasinha would ruin your morning with his hate filled slanderous commentary on the State radio.
Rajapaksa can still pose a formidable challenge should he contest (Which he would) at the General Elections to be announced in three months.
He won the majority of Sinhalese votes on January 8 Presidential election; a feat he can repeat.
He has handed the chairmanship of the SLFP over to Sirisena, but should Rajapaksa get elected at the Parliamentary elections (And provided that the SLFP wins the most number of seats) he would vie for the post of newly empowered Prime Minister and retake the control of the party and the country.
He tried to make a comeback through a national list seat, but, had to give up on the legal grounds (As only those who have been on the list can be appointed through the National List)
The old regime robbed the country’s wealth, turned an entire nation into a familial fiefdom and its key stakeholders officially sanctioned a series of attacks on dissidents. Interestingly, in an interview with NDTV, young Namal Rajapaksa has justified the dynastic rule of his father.
But, the thrust of the problem is that the indoctrination of the public under the old regime is so intense, that still a sizeable segment of Sinhalese folks consider Rajapaksa being their saviour.
This servile adulation is not uniquely Sri Lankan. Rajapaksa reminds me of Thaksin Shinawatra, the former Thai Prime Minister, who nurtured a personality cult among the country’s rural poor, through the provision of generous government subsidies, while dismantling democracy in one of the few practising democracies in Asia.
Even after he was forced out in a bloodless military coup, after the rich and the elite rose up against his regime, Thaskin’s party continued to win every election held since then.
(His sister Yingluck, who was the last Prime Minister was also forced to step down last year, after the Constitutional Court ruled that she had abused power)
The polarisation of the Thai society has now made democracy elusive under multiparty elections.
The Sri Lankan electorate suffers from the same systemic defects that beset its Thai counterpart. Rajapaksa would exploit those shortcomings. He and his cronies are already complaining that Sirisena failed to obtain a majority from the Sinhalese voters.
Equally dangerously, the Rajapaksa regime has built and nurtured a deep State, which is a combination of servile judiciary, a politicised military, all powerful intelligence agencies, a coterie of wheeler-dealer media owners and newly rich racketeers, who made their ill-gotten wealth thanks to the kleptocratic familial system.
When the Chief Justice himself is a member of the old regime, it places the new administration in a tricky place.
When Chief Justice Mohan Peiris is seen in the Temple Trees in the wee hours of the election-day, it raises concerns over his integrity, notwithstanding his very appointment itself which was a mockery on judicial independence.
Now, he has been accused of being part of an attempt to illegally retain power after Rajapaksa lost election. Only an independent investigation would reveal the truth about those allegations, which the former President has however denied. Then, there is the military of which higher echelons have been subjected to intense politicisation.
Former president Rajapaksa purged the military after Sarath Fonseka’s electoral challenge in 2010; two dozens of respected senior officers were sent on compulsory retirement and the military, specially the senior ranks were subjected to politicisation. It is interesting that the Army has not made an official comment on the allegations (Now a complaint on the alleged plot has been lodged with the CID) that the ex-president sought the military help to disrupt the counting of votes and retain power through extra constitutional means.
The silence could be proof of the degree of confusion felt by the military top brass, since the recent political changes.
There are also the Terrorist Investigating Division (TID), State Intelligence Service (SIS) and separate intelligence arms of tri –forces; all have been used to spy on and terrorise political opponents, journalists and dissidents.
Military intelligence operatives were behind the repeated disruption of media workshops in recent times.
Also, the cronies of the old regime continue to control the lion’s share of media in the country. Those ‘nobodies’ who became ‘somebodies’ thanks to wheeler-dealing pose a grave threat not only to free media, but also to the ambitious democratic project now being undertaken by the new government.
In addition, there are newly rich businessmen, who made whopping billions of rupees thanks to their connections with the Rajapaksas.
All those unsavory elements owe their existence to the old regime. They would come in collision with democratic reforms.
There is only one practical way to meet this particular challenge: Expose the regime in its gory detail.
The government should investigate white van abductions, killings of journalists, dissidents, and ordinary Tamils and bring the perpetrators to justice. Under the old regime, investigations into the disappearance of Prageeth Ekneligoda and the assassination of Lasantha Wickrematunge were suspended on the orders of the political leadership.
The former head of Military intelligence corps, who was sent to Eretria as Sri Lanka’s counsel general there, was recalled during a military investigation into Lasantha’s killing and twelve soldiers of a special army unit were confined to the barrack before the orders were issued to suspend the investigation.
Investigations into the disappearance of Ekneligoda were suspended, again on the instructions from the political higher ups, after the police traced the last caller to Prageeth’s cell phone to Batticaloa.
The new government should open fresh investigations and instruct the military top brass, vast majority of whom have no involvement in those crimes, to cooperate. Investigations, if conducted independently could well reveal the culpability of some, who are partners of the current administration.
However, such an exposure and eventual legal action would have a cleansing effect on the current administration. One should not have misgivings that only the Rajapaksa brothers wielded monopoly in violence in the past.
Also, equally mind boggling is the extent of the alleged mega corruption and economic malpractices, ranging from large scale cost inflation of mega infrastructure projects to manipulation of the Colombo Stock Market.
The government rather than indulging in regular allegations should conduct an independent investigation into those charges.
Several complaints against the key stakeholders of the old regime have now been lodged with the Bribery Commission.
However, the present Bribery Commission, staffed with the cronies and stooges of the old regime, including its chairman Jagath Balapatabendi, who himself is facing a corruption charge, would not fit for this momentous task. The government would have to set up a new independent commission and appoint qualified technical staff.
In the contemporary world history, when despots step down, they engage in extensive bargaining to secure immunity for their past sins. Last week, President Rajapaksa himself sought that he and his family be protected from investigations.
The new President assured that he would not indulge in a witch hunt, nor would he interfere with investigating agencies.
However, when the time passes by, enthusiasm would also fade away. It is when those seedy deals of immunity are entered into.
There again the question is about the political will to investigate those gruesome economic crimes.
Sirisena has surprised millions of Sri Lankans by displaying a degree of personal integrity unseen in contemporary Sri Lankan politics.
However, whether the UNP leadership has the same commitment to bring the robber barons and modern day Ceausescues to justice is open to question. Ranil Wickremesinge, a clean politician he may be, is a status quo player. He lacks political will for decisive actions- which saw a previous UNP government being ousted in 2004 by a Constitutional Coup hatched by President Chandrika Kumaratunga.
That is why those of the JVP and JHU’s Patali Champika Ranawaka and Ven. Rathana Thera, whose commitment to good governance is a pleasant contrast to their regressive standing on the national question, should lead the campaign to bring to justice the robber barons who robbed billions of public money, earned by our women who toiled in Arab households under near slave like conditions.
People who admire Rajapaksa for winning the war and putting in place mega infrastructure projects, also ought to know about the billions of rupees of public funds siphoned by the regime.
People deserve to know who the real owner(s) of the Dubai Marriott Hotel are. A determined government can launch an independent international investigation, with the assistance of international partners to trace billions of rupees taken out of Sri Lanka and also to recover the nation’s wealth.
This government has no choice, but to push forward with a genuine independent investigation into the crimes of the old regime. The exposure of the grime details of the Rajapaksa regime would be an eye opener for some sections of the public, who are still blinded by servile loyalty.
Mahinda Rajapaksa thrived in collective ignorance, that begets blind loyalty to the regime. The new government should shock the public out of their compliancy.
If the government fails to do that, it would be at the expense of our new found democracy.
- See more at: http://www.dailymirror.lk/61559/expose- ... 4EBiC.dpuf
Sri Sri also wants the BJP to bloom all over the country.schinnas wrote:We should give them Indian citizenship. It is long overdue and I hope BJP government does the right thing here. Many people who have done ground work there and know the state of refugees have asked for granting of citizenship (after intelligence vetting of course). It is not just local TN politicians but spiritual leaders like Sri Sri Ravishankar ji who have asked for this.Tuvaluan wrote:http://indianexpress.com/article/india/ ... -refugees/
New govt. is being more proactive on talking about the refugee situation in SL/TN. Good indicators.
Can the TN guys do it on their own??saravana wrote:There is nothing like give and take in this situation. Are you suggesting TN elect BJP so that they give citizenship to SL Tamil?
There is too much conflating of unrelated topics
Every body and his uncle seem to be expressing their opinion, this is mine.saravana wrote:I don't have an opinion on citizenship issue since there is no demand for it. But if they are given citizenship they are free to move like any other citizen. On refugee status their movement is more restricted.
There was a cry of diplomacy should not be hostage to the TN politics, which it wasn't when the LTTE were destroyed. Now when the situation is better and conducive, you are bringing in TN politics. That is not a long term view. This situation may or may not be around when TN elect BJP.
The local BJP leaders are not effective and the few effective ones mysteriously get bumped off.saravana wrote:I am not saying there should be only one view as long as it is consistent and not colored by local politics.
Thatha for his faults did help GoI by doing pointless drama which aided in his fall. Way better than WB. And Vaiko for all his politics did an honourable exit from the alliance when he could have milked it. Again way better than other allies who barter their ideology for seats.
If you think TN is a region outside of India which needs to barter for something that would be beneficial to India then I have nothing to say to that. It is not state level politics. Otherwise border States have to give and take with imperial rome to get anything done.
I guess you are aware of the slippery slope this argument can take?chetak wrote:
The local BJP leaders are not effective and the few effective ones mysteriously get bumped off.
NaMo and AS can only do Hindi which is hated by the local populace. Very strange that hindi works in karnataka and andhra but not in TN.
No one is saying barter anything but if you need to make a deal then you need to find out pronto what the other guy wants.
The country does not give a damn about SL tamils which is a localised TN issue. No one is loosing sleep over the fishing boats except TN agenda driven folks. Coupled with eelam support and sometimes raised secessionist issues and tendencies, this type of local politics is poles apart from the normal stuff that engages the aam aadmi in the rest of India except J&K
Film actor politics is what TN is all about and no one takes them seriously. All parties are corrupted and loudly cry innocence when nabbed. All seem very serious about robbing the exchequer blind and think that it's all their father's property. Vaiko did not do any honorable exit, he was BOOTED out period because he was unable to distinguish between the functions of various bodily orifices. He also thought that NaMo was obliged to him for aligning with the BJP. With friends like vaiko, no one needs enemies.
The same SL tamils some of whom were part of the ltte?saravana wrote:I guess you are aware of the slippery slope this argument can take?chetak wrote:
The local BJP leaders are not effective and the few effective ones mysteriously get bumped off.
NaMo and AS can only do Hindi which is hated by the local populace. Very strange that hindi works in karnataka and andhra but not in TN.
No one is saying barter anything but if you need to make a deal then you need to find out pronto what the other guy wants.
The country does not give a damn about SL tamils which is a localised TN issue. No one is loosing sleep over the fishing boats except TN agenda driven folks. Coupled with eelam support and sometimes raised secessionist issues and tendencies, this type of local politics is poles apart from the normal stuff that engages the aam aadmi in the rest of India except J&K
Film actor politics is what TN is all about and no one takes them seriously. All parties are corrupted and loudly cry innocence when nabbed. All seem very serious about robbing the exchequer blind and think that it's all their father's property. Vaiko did not do any honorable exit, he was BOOTED out period because he was unable to distinguish between the functions of various bodily orifices. He also thought that NaMo was obliged to him for aligning with the BJP. With friends like vaiko, no one needs enemies.
http://thediplomat.com/2015/01/sri-lank ... democracy/Sri Lanka: A Surprising Blow for Democracy
Voters end an apparent slide towards dictatorship, and confound Beijing’s plans for the region.
By Victor Robert Lee
January 13, 2015
Democracy has taken many knocks in recent years. Russian President Vladimir Putin has twisted a supposed Russian democracy into a dictatorship. Beijing is touting its single-party autocracy as superior to democracy. And in Washington, democracy looks like a legislative train wreck. But the island nation of Sri Lanka this past week proved that democracy is alive and well in at least one corner of the world, by throwing out its own Putinesque figure.
On January 8, a diverse coalition of Sri Lankan parties led by Maithripala Sirisena defeated Mahinda Rajapaksa, president since 2005, who was seeking to secure a third six-year term. Rajapaksa, whose administration in 2009 finally crushed a longstanding Tamil separatist movement in the country’s northeast, presented himself as a god-like figure and set about placing numerous relatives in key government posts, making national politics something of a family business. When the chief justice of the Supreme Court made decisions contrary to his family’s liking, Rajapaksa simply sacked her. He had a promising rival, military commander Sarath Fonseka, jailed. He ordered up a massive new port to be built in his small hometown of Hambantota, on the southern coast of the island – and named it after himself. In Hambantota, he constructed a multi-hundred-million-dollar “international” airport that sits mostly empty, hosting just two to four flights per day. He named this after himself, too.
Hambantota port hi-res
Construction underway at Hambantota port, southern Sri Lanka. Photo by Victor Robert Lee.
Who provided the billions of dollars of loans for these projects, as well as for an ongoing colossal landfill “port city” at Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo? China’s government – through its export-import banking arm, with all construction mandated to Chinese state-controlled companies, with no competitive bidding, and with no public accounting of the economics involved.
The southern coast of Sri Lanka is ten nautical miles from the main sea lane linking East Asia to the Middle East, Africa and Europe. That includes the corridor for China’s oil and gas shipments from the Persian Gulf. Beijing’s interest in Sri Lanka’s strategic location is by no means strictly commercial; twice in 2014, Chinese submarines for the first time ever docked in Sri Lanka, at the newly Chinese-built and -operated south port of Colombo harbor. At the other new port, Hambantota, which is also controlled and operated by a Chinese state-owned company, four of seven large berths are exclusively reserved for Chinese vessels for 35 years, according to Phoenix News in Hong Kong. There are no disclosed restrictions on Chinese naval use of the berths.
There has been rampant speculation in Sri Lanka that the non-transparent construction projects funded by China have enriched the Rajapaksa family at the expense of other citizens. The new president’s prime minister declared in December that he would scrap entirely the $1.5 billion port city project at Colombo, now being built by China Communications Construction Company. The new president, Sirisena, formerly a minister in the Rajapaksa government, called during the campaign for his fellow citizens to join him “to free the country from corrupt practices and family rule,” and his campaign manifesto contained a thinly veiled reference to China: “The land that the White Man took over by means of military strength is now being obtained by foreigners by paying ransom to a handful of persons. This robbery is taking place before everybody in broad daylight.”
China was the main supplier of arms, including vital fighter jets, radar and munitions, to Rajapaksa’s regime in the ramp-up of its destruction of the Tamil resistance and alleged massacre of tens of thousands of civilians in 2008-9. China, in its position on the UN Security Council, has repeatedly protected Rajapaksa from possible UN war crime investigations (sometimes with help from Russia and Venezuela). While in office, Rajapaksa intimidated the press, used the powers of the state and its media for personal propaganda, blocked Internet news sources he found objectionable, repressed minority groups, and, as candidate Sirisena observed in November, was moving toward a dictatorship. In other words, Rajapaksa was the Chinese Communist Party’s kind of man.
And yet, despite all the levers of incumbent power, the state-funded bribery of the electorate, the manipulation of government-owned media, and cronies who shot organizers at opposition rallies, Rajapaksa lost.
And, despite possible dangers in going to the polls, voter turnout for the election was estimated at 81.5 percent, an inspirational level when compared to the U.S. turnout of 54.9 percent in its most recent presidential election.
Sirisena at podium zoom 1.3MBjpg
Newly elected President Maithripala Sirisena speaking at opposition campaign rally in Galle, Sri Lanka, on January 5, 2015. Photo by Victor Robert Lee.
At a political rally for the opposition in the southern city of Galle, on the last day of campaigning (January 5), a crowd of thousands stood for more than four hours in an often scorching sun to hear out several opposition speakers, including Sirisena, who took his oath of presidential office on January 10. The jam-packed crowd at the campaign rally was orderly and polite, paying attention to every word from the podium. Intermittently they broke into cheers and waved flags, but always returned to listening intently. There were no refreshments being served, no one smoked or drank; many people stood on plastic chairs or climbed into trees to get a better view and wave their flags. Watchful police officers were present in abundance as well as a few army troops, but despite being under the official control of the Rajapaksa family, they appeared even-handed and reserved.
The majority of Sri Lankans at this rally and elsewhere in the country were fed up with a corrupt regime that allegedly profited from white-elephant projects, and, perhaps more persuasively, the voters had become alarmed as the cost of basic foods like rice, dhal, and flour had risen to unbearable levels while incomes stagnated.
Widespread fears that Rajapaksa would stage a military coup if he failed to win the election appeared to be unfounded, as he conceded defeat the following day. However, yesterday (January 11) a senior aide to Sirisena told reporters, “People think it was a peaceful transition. It was anything but.”
The aide, Mangala Samaraweera, said that when the ballot appeared to be going against him, Rajapaksa ordered a meeting with the nation’s attorney general and heads of the army and police to implement a state of emergency and abort the election. Army Chief Lt. Gen. Daya Ratnayake reportedly refused, and Rajapaksa’s plot fizzled. India’s newspaper The Hindu reported that when it contacted Army Chief Ratnayake he declined to comment on whether there had been a coup attempt. In any case it appears democracy was not thwarted by a dictator this time.
There is of course a risk that the new leaders of this country of 21 million will become venal and self-serving, or that the newly governing coalition of disparate parties will crumble into disarray. The future of Sri Lanka is uncertain. But for now it is in the hands of the voters, who were brave, on all sides – something that is antithetical to the former president’s patron, Beijing.
Victor Robert Lee reports from the Asia-Pacific region and is the author of the literary espionage novel Performance Anomalies.
You seem to have some deep seated grouse against Tamilians. Care to explain why? And what's with this othering - 'they' said this, and 'they' said that? Who are the 'they' in your above post? All TN folks?chetak wrote: I don't see any one in TN making efforts to help out. Do they want something for nothing ??
Don't they know that there are no free lunches??
or is something else holding them back??
Instead of meddling in lankan affairs, they should deal with someone who can do something and also ditch all eelam talk.
And who gave these fellows respectability with a coalition during the last elections? Even the TN electorate does not give them anything beyond a few seats here and there, why did NaMo/AS even grace them with an alliance? (I cringed when I heard this news back then) And how many seats did they win/help win for the NDA? Easy for you to make some 'observations' but the ground realities of elections are different. Similarly, kindly do lookup and see for yourself how many seats the fringe elements who actively support eelam in SL win routinely.chetak wrote:shitkickers like vaiko and ramadoss should not aspire to things that they are ill qualified for and greedily run behind personal power in a bid to fill their coffers at NaMo's cost
And this is waaay different from the other states of India? Your forget one thing: Modi says "congress mukht Bharat", TN said that in 1967 for various reasons. In fact, the other states of India did a disservice to the country by allowing Congress to continue and practice their tender mercies through Emergencies, splitting states, allowing EJ (of which TN is a victim of late too).chetak wrote:The BJP has a grand plan and they are being needlessly thwarted for being a "hindi" party. This is just a front as the actual reasons are plain for all to see. This is a variation of the congi/commie/ "secular" block calling them "communal" All concerned have to get over this petty mind block.
Sort of. In fact, during the final offensive in 2007/8, there was not much murmur by MK for whatever reasons. In fact, many people did not even know what was happening. Again, believe it or not, there was little love lost for the LTTE across the cross section of TN. Certainly, there were some elements supporting them, similar to the ones for Khalistan in Punjab today. But overall, after the RaGa assassination, Jaya got the massive mandate just so MK could be booted and the state cleaned up. And it pretty much was, from a layman PoV. If you have other contradicting info, please do share.chetak wrote:LTTE was destroyed INSPITE of TN politics.
Care to share insights about this? Any references?chetak wrote:amma continues to put pressure on the IA
It is the way it is. No point crying about it. Something for nothing, remember?chetak wrote:NaMo and AS can only do Hindi which is hated by the local populace. Very strange that hindi works in karnataka and andhra but not in TN.
Nice attempt at painting TN as a secessionist state. With fellow desis like you, why does India need enemies? Btw, your above statement can apply almost verbatim to Punjab (replace eelam with khalistan). Want to try doing that?chetak wrote:Coupled with eelam support and sometimes raised secessionist issues and tendencies, this type of local politics is poles apart from the normal stuff that engages the aam aadmi in the rest of India except J&K
And the rest of the nation is practicing enlightened politics? Just because they use shuddh desi Hindi?chetak wrote:Film actor politics is what TN is all about and no one takes them seriously. All parties are corrupted and loudly cry innocence when nabbed. All seem very serious about robbing the exchequer blind and think that it's all their father's property. Vaiko did not do any honorable exit, he was BOOTED out period because he was unable to distinguish between the functions of various bodily orifices. He also thought that NaMo was obliged to him for aligning with the BJP. With friends like vaiko, no one needs enemies.
Why on earth would India want to do that to a population that is willing to go back once the politics in SL is more reasonable? I don't quite understand what India gets, other than more fractious politics in TN, for offering citizenship to SL Tamils.We should give them Indian citizenship. It is long overdue and I hope BJP government does the right thing here.
Don't know, saravana. The guy claims to be apolitical, he clearly has no love lost for the current regime -- possibly because he got into a fight with a guy called Utsav Mitra who was personal secretary or some such to the Minister of Oil around a year ago. That think tank was heavily patronized by the politicians and babus during the UPA regime, and all that has come to a halt after the NDA came to power, so maybe a lack of information too, though I doubt that.You are right, the author presumes India can only offer carrots and not sticks if it comes to that. Maybe still in MMS mode?