Opinion Colombo calling
Sirisena administration has reached out, New Delhi must reciprocate.
That Sri Lankan foreign minister, Mangala Samaraweera, chose India as his first port of call, just five days after taking office, signals the importance the new regime in Colombo appears to attach to improving ties with New Delhi. Relations between the two neighbours had been lukewarm during Mahinda Rajapaksa’s presidency, which was perceived to be anti-Tamil and pro-China. The Maithripala Sirisena dispensation appears set for a course correction on both fronts.
It is early days yet, but the Sirisena administration has indicated a reconciliatory approach towards the Tamil minority. One of the first decisions of the new government was to appoint a former diplomat as governor of the northern province in place of Rajapaksa’s appointee, a retired military officer. Sirisena has also entrusted the reconciliation portfolio with Ranil Wickremasinghe, who had preferred talks to war to settle the Tamil issue when he was prime minister. These are welcome gestures that could help rebuild trust between Tamils and the Lankan state.
Hopefully, the new administration will move further and push for the demilitarisation of Tamil areas while enabling the devolution of administrative powers to the provincial government. Over a lakh refugees, who crossed over to India during the ethnic war, have resisted returning home even though it ended five years ago, fearing reprisal by the administration. The issue came up for discussion during Samaraweera’s talks with Sushma Swaraj over the weekend. Convincing them to return could help Colombo send out a signal to the large Tamil diaspora in exile that it is serious about post-war reconciliation. A hostile diaspora could hold up Colombo’s efforts to repair its relations with many European nations, on a downward spiral since the last phase of the Eelam war. Rajapaksa won the war against the LTTE. Now, Sirisena must win over the Tamils.
Progress on the Tamil issue will help forge stable and strong relations between India and Sri Lanka, given the Tamil cause’s resonance in Tamil Nadu and consequent influence on New Delhi’s Lanka policy. The Rajapaksa government sought to counter New Delhi’s reluctance to support its war efforts by promoting closer economic ties with Beijing. Indications are, some of the Chinese projects could now be open for review, ostensibly for economic reasons. India should explore the emerging opportunity.
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