Global Reset: What is Sri Lanka’s future vis a vis India-West geopolitical games?

 

Undoubtedly a global reset is taking place. The sudden changes we are witnessing in 2024 will accelerate in 2025. India must be viewing the fall of Syria with concern, coming months after the fall of Bangladesh, the sudden Marshall Law declared in South Korea and everyone now wonder which nation is next.

 

Apart from the usual diplomatic mumbo jumbo of working in harmony, behind doors planning is probably afoot to ensure the safety of over 9million Indians working in the Middle East.

 

Syria and India have had close ties & the 2016 statement by Syria’s ambassador to India Riad Abbas affirmed Syria’s position on Kashmir “anyone who raises a weapon against the government, we call them terrorists and the government must take action against them”.

 

More than any other factor India will be concerned about the resurgence of terror groups venturing into India, apart from the proxies that India has under its belt. India would know given the trips made by Sri Lanka’s Easter Sunday suicide bombers to India on numerous occasions prior to the bombings in 2019. India will also remember that the terrorists it trained & armed in the 1970s-1980s preferred new foster parents & ended up killing an Indian Prime Minister on Indian soil. The invisible hands behind this should be further investigated. Therefore, India should not experiment with terrorism as even their proxies can make u-turns!

 

Already the US & UK are removing the Syrian “rebels” from their terrorist lists while UK government has declared 11million pounds to the rebels. How come govts suddenly have money to hand to terrorist movements! Having dismembered Yugoslavia & the Soviet Union, India was warned in 1998 that it too would be balkanized eventually. This eventuality has to be foremost on the mind of India in particular with the scurry to make geopolitical changes prior to President Trump taking oaths.

 

While India’s pressing for 13^th amendment has nothing whatsoever to do with any concern for Sri Lanka’s Tamils, the use of credit lines, loans & the financial crisis has enabled India to penetrate into key areas in the North. This taken together with the proposed connectivity of air, sea, electricity, road, rail, ports, harbors & other agreements with India strategically aligns with Arkhand Bharath Hindutva plan that includes Sri Lanka as well. This poses a major challenge & threat to the Buddhist archaeology & historical heritage of Sri Lanka.

 

Arkhand Bharath will pose a direct challenge to the Tamil Nadu leadership most of whom are Christians & aligned to West & very much linked to the LTTE fronts who are also operating from the West & with Church-alignments. The upcoming Tamil Nadu leaders foray into politics saw a massive turn out & the Indian government should view this as a challenge.

 

A Tamil Nadu that the Central Govt cannot control is as dangerous as Sri Lanka’s North under West’s control! Shouldn’t India be helping Sri Lanka’s Govt control entire Sri Lanka rather than weakening Sri Lanka’s Govt?

 

This is why India should take a back foot in demanding the full implementation of the 13^th amendment as it would be disadvantageous to India given its Hindu hold in both North Sri Lanka & Tamil Nadu is weakening. Majority of key Tamil leaders in Sri Lanka too are more West aligned and only namesake Hindus.

 

This is also why India should desist from encouraging the Himalayan Declaration, a bogey that is being peddled by West-aligned LTTE fronts using some clueless Buddhist Theros who the Sinhala Buddhists do not accept as representing the Sinhalese, the Buddhists or the Sri Lankan state/nation. This should be one of the key areas to be discussed with the new Sri Lankan President who will visit India shortly.

 

While India & West make diplomatic demands for the implementation of 13^th amendment, it is not out of any concern for Tamils. Autonomy of the North & East Sri Lanka make it easier for India or West to take control of the 2 strategic provinces for their geopolitical goals. Majority of Tamil politicians are fully aware of this while they soft peddling it for their own political gains. LTTE fronts are mere coolies for the western governments chirping demands aligned to Wests geopolitical goals. Thus, the sudden open demands being made by them.

 

The Indian government should not ignore that their key Quad partner is making forays into every nook & corner that India had been controlling. The US envoy is regularly meeting segments of the Tamil community which they have strategically filtered – Malayali Tamils, Estate Tamils, Eastern Tamils, Northern Tamils, Colombo Tamils. The US has mastered their thinking & their behavioral patterns. The election results is another clue to question who is influencing Tamil vote change & why! At every previous election the outcome of the Tamil votes in North & Estate sector was a foregone conclusion. What triggered the change this time round? Who gave the orders for the change of vote are factors that all Sri Lankans & India should consider. Let us not forget, how India’s Subramaniam Swamy too questioned the 2010 Presidential Election when majority of Tamils in the North voted for the former army commander despite alleging the armed forces were war criminals! Thus, bloc vote changes give deeper meaning than meets the eye & should question who calls the shots from behind the scenes!

 

The Indian PM & Foreign Ministry must have noticed pro-LTTE website questioning why the Sri Lankan military has not closed down military camps in the North inspite of the Cabinet deciding to do so! Why would a new government facing mounting economic issues wish to remove military camps immediately after coming to power especially when the pro-LTTE media infer some kind of understanding? The new government must be mature enough to comprehend the larger picture & the outcome being carved.

 

India’s interference in Sri Lanka is often based alongside a statement that India is concerned about threats to its security. Is this why India is making forays into Sri Lanka attempting to dictate & control Sri Lanka’s energy, territory, resources, retail/wholesale, biometrics, digitalization & even media?

 

Is India demanding full implementation of 13^th amendment in order to make Sri Lanka’s North & East part of Indian Arkhand Bharath terrain? Would the US inspite of being a QUAD partner allow this or allow it as it would eventually fall into Wests hands upon balkanizing India?

 

What are Sri Lanka’s leaders, diplomats, policy advisors digesting from these developments? Have they not comprehended the larger picture or are they euthanized into simply nodding their heads to every demand made from either India or West? Who is protecting Sri Lanka’s sovereignty & territorial integrity?

 

 

 

 

Shenali D Waduge