{"id":17469,"date":"2013-03-02T05:10:02","date_gmt":"2013-03-02T10:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=17469"},"modified":"2013-03-02T05:10:02","modified_gmt":"2013-03-02T10:10:02","slug":"tamil-nadu-more-than-any-other-indian-state-has-benefited-from-the-close-ties-between-india-and-sri-lanka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=17469","title":{"rendered":"Tamil Nadu More Than any Other Indian State has Benefited from the Close Ties Between India and Sri Lanka"},"content":{"rendered":"

By<\/p>\n

Pranay Sharma<\/strong><\/p>\n

A set of three photographs splashed recently across the front pages of Indian newspapers recall in chilling detail the horrific side of the ethnic war in Sri Lanka that ended in 2009. They are of Balachandran, the 12-year-old son of slain LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. The first two photos show the bare-bodied young boy forlornly sitting in a bunker munching on biscuits. In the third, he is lying dead on the ground, with bullet wounds on his chest. The photos, part of footage from a controversial documentary, No Fire Zone: Sri Lanka\u2019s Killing Fields by British filmmaker Callum Macrae, suggest cold-blooded execution.<\/p>\n

The Sri Lankan government claims the photographs are \u201cdoctored\u201d. But Macrae told Outlook that he and his team have carefully \u201canalysed and authenticated\u201d the footage and are sure that the boy was killed not in a crossfire, as claimed by Colombo, but in cold blood.<\/p>\n

Irrespective of whether they are doctored or not, the publication of the photographs has outraged most Indians, particularly those in Tamil Nadu, where there has been traditional support for the \u2018Tamil cause\u2019 as espoused by the Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka. But if the LTTE\u2019s ruthless tactics\u2014leading to the death of many innocent people\u2014had led to its marginalisation in Tamil Nadu politics in the past, the alleged execution of the young boy has successfully brought Tamil politicians of all hues together to rally against Sri Lanka<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThe expose by the British filmmaker triggered the anti-Sri Lan\u00adkan sentiments in Tamil Nadu,\u201d says Chennai-based political commentator M.R. Venkatesh. The past weeks have wit\u00adnessed a series of protests against Sri Lankan companies and assets in Tamil Nadu. The rising anger, which even led to attacks on Sri Lankan banks and airlines offices, forced CM J. Jayalalitha to take heed and ann\u00adounce that her state will not host the forthcoming Asian Athletics Meet to keep out participants from Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n

To be sure, much of this\u2014the expose by Macrae and the subsequent protests\u2014are being orchestrated to have a strong impact on the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC)meet in Geneva in March. The Americans have started circulating a resolution to garner support among the 47 members of the council to force Sri Lanka to take action against those guilty of human rights violations against LTTE personnel and non-combatants in the war-torn north, especially during the ferocious bloodletting in the final stages of the war. \u201cWe continue to be deeply concerned by all\u00ade\u00adgations of violations of international humanitarian law and human rights in Sri Lanka. At the end of this conflict, we support a full accounting for all who are engaged in acts of violated international humanitarian law,\u201d says a US official. The Americans and others have been disappointed at the lack of progress made by the Sri Lankan government to address these issues.<\/p>\n

The US-based Human Rights Watch has also published a report alleging rape and sexual assault on captured LTTE men and women in Sri Lankan army camps. The voting on the Sri Lanka-centric resolution is scheduled to be taken up on March 22. Attempts are being made by various parties, inc\u00adluding Europe-based Tamil diaspora, to drum up support against Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n

This has caused some chagrin. \u201cThe proposed resolution is uncalled for,\u201d says Sri Lankan high commissioner in Delhi, Prasada Kariyawasam. \u201cThe Sri Lankan situation is not a matter for the UNHRC to discuss,\u201d he says. He points out that Sri Lanka has taken steps towards reconciliation among different sections of society. \u201cThe wounds of the war will be healed gradually and it cannot be imposed from outside,\u201d Kariyawasam says, adding that \u201cany attempt to force the pace on Sri Lanka will only be counter-productive\u201d.<\/p>\n

On its part, Colombo has been consulting \u201clike-minded\u201d countries in the UNHRC to help them understand and appreciate steps it has taken to address the human rights issue. It claims much of the criticism has come from people who have not visited the country and are not aware of the ground reality.<\/p>\n

A fair bit of that criticism is being generated from Tamil Nadu. The two main political parties\u2014the opposition DMK and the ruling AIADMK\u2014are in sync with the dominant mood. With elections a year away, no party can go soft on this emotive issue. Tamil MPs have met PM Manmohan Singh to ensure that India, like last year, votes against Sri Lanka to deliver a strong message against its human rights record.<\/p>\n

Faced with irate Tamil Nadu MPs in Parliament, foreign minister Salman Khurshid tried to strike a balance bet\u00adween the popular mood and India\u2019s strategic interests in Sri Lanka. \u201cWe may have anguish, we may have anger but we should not be saying that Sri Lanka is an enemy country,\u201d Khurshid told members in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. But the walkout by most members from Tamil Nadu showed they won\u2019t relent on the pressure to take a tougher line against Colombo. Sections in Tamil Nadu even want an economic embargo on Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n

But such a possibility also scares the business community in Tamil Nadu, which enjoys close trade links with Sri Lanka and has a substantial share of the $5-billion Indo-Lankan trade pie. \u201cIndia\u2019s Sri Lankan policy is going to harm Indian interests. Sri Lanka wants close ties with India but we are trying to push it away,\u201d Somi Hazari, former president of the India-asean Chamber of Commerce and Industries, said.<\/p>\n

Over the years Tamil Nadu, more than any other state, has benefited the most from close ties between the two countries. The 100-odd weekly flights from Tamil Nadu to the island nation are mostly full as the hour-long journey works in the interest of businessmen in both countries. Most Tamil Nadu businessmen admit that rising bilateral tensions would only harm their interest. \u201cIf we stop doing business there, the space will not remain vacant. It will be filled by Chinese and Pakistani businessmen,\u201d says one of them.<\/p>\n

But what does all this mean to the Indian vote on Sri Lanka in the coming days?<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think India will do anything different from what it did last year. We will vote yet again against Sri Lanka,\u201d says former external affairs ministry secretary N. Ravi.<\/p>\n

India\u2019s vote last year had naturally caused major disappointment in Colombo, but the two countries have too much at stake and have invested heavily in the relationship. India is aware of the growing Chinese presence in Sri Lanka, but Sri Lanka too is aware that it cannot antagonise a close and powerful neighbour like India.<\/p>\n

Therefore, a possible Indian vote against Sri Lanka in Geneva may be a continuing irritant in the bilateral relationship. But it is going to be one which both countries can live with.
\nCOURTESY:OUTLOOK INDIA<\/em><\/p>\n

Tweet<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Pranay Sharma A set of three photographs splashed recently across the front pages of Indian newspapers recall in chilling detail the horrific side of the ethnic war in Sri Lanka that ended in 2009. They are of Balachandran, the 12-year-old son of slain LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. The first two photos show the bare-bodied …<\/p>\n

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