Did Rajapaksa wilt under Indian Envoy’s warning?
Trade between Sri Lanka and India, which was only US$ 557 million in 2000 has now shot up to US$ 2.7 billion, solely due to the Indo-Lanka Free Trade Agreement, said Prof. G. L. Peiris, Minister of Export Development and International Trade. He stressed that through the implementation of the proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), bilateral trade relations in the service sector would be further strengthened.
by Upul Joseph Fernando
( March 16, 2016, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) A close analysis of how the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime dealt with India and the contradictory policies and statements that emanate, at present, from former Ministers like Prof. G.L. Peiris amply demonstrate that they are playing politics for their advantage using proposed agreements between Colombo and New Delhi. The analysis records that former Sri Lankan High Commissioner to New Delhi under Mahinda’s administration, Prasad Kariyawasam made a controversial statement against Tamil Nadu urging the Central Government of India to take action against Tamil Nadu politicians who had links with the LTTE. New Delhi appeared disturbed by Kariyawasam’s statement. On the contrary the Rajapaksa administration endorsed the statement made by Kariyawasam claiming that the latter made that statement in the interests of the Colombo Government.
Indian High Commissioner in Colombo Y.K. Sinha recently made a serious statement against Opposition politicians in Sri Lanka who attacked the proposed ETCA with India. He expressed shock and dismay over the same politicians who supported the CEPA with India now taking an opposing stand to ETCA. In response to Sinha, Prof. G.L. Peiris who earlier supported CEPA said Sinha was trying to play the controversial character of one of his predecessors J.N.Dixit. Dixit was a controversial character before and after the Indo-Lanka Accord was signed in July 1987 between former Indian Premier Rajiv Gandhi and former Sri Lankan President Junius Richard Jayewardene.
