SRI LANKA: India Should Revise its Stance on Human Rights Violations

06-Sep-2011

Guest Column by V. Suryanarayan and Ashik Bonofer 

Intervening in the Lok Sabha debate on the “Steps taken by the Government of India for the relief and rehabilitation of the Tamils” on August 26, 2011 the Minister for External Affairs SM Krishna referred to human rights violations that had taken place at the end of the Fourth Eelam War and clarified New Delhi’s policy on the subject as follows: “It is for the Sri Lankan Government to investigate and enquire into them and establish their veracity or otherwise through a transparent process. We note …that it is also doing so through the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission”. New Delhi’s stance that the human rights violations are a matter of domestic jurisdiction and it should be left to the Sri Lankan Government to resolve the issue has disappointed the Tamils throughout the world. It had also saddened human rights activists who want India to take the lead in exposing the heinous crimes of the Sri Lankan Government and bring the guilty to book. A change in India’s policy would have been welcomed by the international community, especially the Tamil minority groups in Sri Lanka and 70 million Tamils in Tamil Nadu.  Full Story>>>
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Rajapakse License to Grab Sri Lanka Lands : China gets Foothold

September 5, 2011

During the cold war season the Trincomalee port in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka was a bone of contention. The Indian policy makers were threatening Indian public that Americans were aiming Trincomnalee for their naval base which was a potential security threat to India. Making use of the situation the Sinhala rulers of Sri Lanka bargained with India just like their current China card strategy to get benefits from India.

But the cold war has become a hot war of Globalization which has resulted in rapid changes in Land policies of the Governments. The Governments in developing countries including that of India have come up with a policy of chasing away the original inhabitants of the lands depriving them of their rights to live in their traditional ancestral lands. This has helped the foreign Governments to send their corporate agents to these lands to grab them easily by getting 99 years lease. No need to say that the political leaders shall take away illegal money for leasing Government land to save dollars and gold in a far way country.

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