India-Sri Lanka Relations

 

Table of Contents: India-Sri Lanka Relations Context Historical Relations Political Relations Economic Relations Cultural Relations Security Cooperation Strategic Importance Issues of India-Sri Lanka China Factors Fisherman Issues Civil War Other Issues Practical Suggestions Conclusion

 

 

India-Sri Lanka Relations

 

“As the largest country in South Asia, India has the responsibility to do more to incentivise cooperation in the neighbourhood. We don't need it to always be reciprocal.”

                                                                                                         S. Jaishankar (EAM)

 

Context:

Sri Lanka is located strategically in the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal and is India's closest maritime neighbour. India has deep historical, intellectual, cultural, religious, and linguistic exchange with this island nation from ancient period.

Recently, India-Sri-Lanka close political contacts, expanding commerce and investment, cooperation in the areas of development, education, culture, and defence, as well as a deep understanding of the most important global concerns. The connection between India and Sri Lanka has become stronger as a result of the two countries' improved cooperation on projects to assist internally displaced people (IDPs) in developing their communities.

India is recently assisting Sri-Lanka in its Economic Crisis:

Greater respect for India has been shown in Sri Lanka as a result of India's unwavering and humble decision to provide desperately needed food, gasoline, and medicines whenever Colombo requested urgent aid from New Delhi in the face of the unprecedented economic crisis.

• India will be close watching the developments of bilateral relations and multilateral assistance to address Sri Lanka’s economic crisis.

Adani Group port operator in Sri Lanka:

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) received a Letter of Intent (LOI) for the development and operations of West Container Terminal (WCT) in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

• A terminal operated by APSEZ in India is where roughly 45% of Colombo's trans-shipment volumes originate from or are destined.
• The Adani Group will become the country's first Indian port operator in Sri Lanka.
• The group will have the majority stake in the West Container International Terminal Joint Venture (JV).
• The build-operate-transfer (BOT) agreement, which has a 35-year termination date.
• In the history of Sri Lanka's port, it represents the "biggest" foreign investment.

 

India – Sri Lanka Science & Technology (S&T) Cooperation (2022):

To focus on new areas like waste-water technologies, biotech, sustainable agriculture, aerospace engineering, robotics, big data analytics, and artificial intelligence, as well as industrial collaborations.

• India offers fellowships like India S&T fellowship, e-ITEC.
• S&T is a key enabler of socio-economic and sustainable development agenda of 2030.

 

Various Dimensions of India–Sri-Lanka Relationship:

Historical Relations:

• It was during the Ramayana period when Sri Lanka was first mentioned. With the help of Hanuman, Ram was able to free Sita from Ravana's captivity in Lanka.
• According to the Ramayana, between the 7th BCE to 3rd centuries CE, Lord Ram built the Ram Setu bridge with the help of an army of Vanaras (monkeys), under the command of Lord Hanuman, in order to reach Lanka. It is also known as Adam’s Bridge.
• India has ancient links with Sri Lanka since the advent of Buddhism. Buddhism as a movement spread over Sri Lanka some 2300 years ago.
• Sri Lanka has historically been invaded by the Indian dynasties of Chola and Pallava.
• Although ruled separately, the local people of Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) were colonised by the British but did not become a part of the British India Empire.
• British companies began sending indentured labour from India, particularly Tamil Nadu, to Ceylon starting in the 1830s. The Tamils that the British carried settled down in the northern region of Ceylon.
• India became independent in 1947 while Ceylon in 1948.

 

Political Relations:

• Political relations between India and Sri-Lanka have been marked by high-level exchanges of visits at regular intervals.
• A USD 15 million grant from India for promotion of bilateral Buddhist ties and an inaugural international flight carrying Sri Lankan pilgrims to the sacred city of Kushinagar, after Kushingar’s recent designation as international airport, were announced at the Virtual Bilateral Summit (VBS). It issued under ‘MitratvaMaga’.
• Indian National Security Advisor (NSA) visited Sri Lanka in November 2020 to attend the fourth maritime dialogue under the ‘India- Sri Lanka-Maldives’ trilateral mechanism.
• Sri-Lanka occupies in India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy and its S.A.G.A.R (Security and Growth for all in the Region) doctrine.
• Sri Lanka is a member of regional organisations such as BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) and SAARC, where India holds a leading place.
• Both countries also cooperate in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

Commercial Relations:

• In 1998, a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was signed between India and Sri Lanka, facilitating stronger trade ties between the two nations.
• After the India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (ISFTA) went into effect in March 2000, trade between the two nations increased very fast.
• India’s second largest trading partner in South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is Sri Lanka.
• Direct investment from India has always prioritised Sri Lanka as a destination. With total investments in Sri Lanka over US$ 1 billion since 2003, India is one of the top four foreign investors.
• The planned Economic and Technological Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) between India and Sri-Lanka will promote investment, trade in services, and cooperative technology. With the signing of ETCA, Indian investment will flow into Sri Lanka, integrating the island's production facilities into the Indian and global value chains.
• The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which the two nations have not yet signed, aims to build on the momentum created by the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and move the two economies beyond trade in goods to greater integration as well as give renewed momentum and synergy to bilateral economic interaction.
• Sri Lanka receives the most tourists from India. One of the top ten sources of tourists for the Indian tourism market is Sri Lanka.

 

Cultural and Educational Relations:

• From the reign of the Great Indian Emperor Ashoka, Buddhism has been one of the most powerful pillars uniting the two nations and civilizations.
• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 26 September, 2020, announced a USD 15 million grant assistance for protection and promotion of Buddhist ties between India and Sri Lanka.
• By providing workshops in Hindi, Yoga, Indian music, and dance, the Indian Cultural Centre in Colombo actively raises awareness of Indian culture. Cultural groups from both nations visit each other on an annual basis.
• People of Indian Origin (PIOs), who have settled in Sri Lanka and are involved in a variety of business endeavours, include Sindhis, Gujaratis, Memons, Parsis, Malayalis, and Telugu-speaking individuals.
• The Cultural Cooperation Agreement has been signed between India and Sri-Lanka.
• In mid-2021, special prayers across Sri Lanka for the well-being of people of India in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic e.g., Organized Vishwa Ashirwada Horawa, Prayer in Catholic churches in Jaffna.
• Hashtags, such as ‘thinkingofindia’, ‘PrayForIndia’, are trending on social media in Sri Lanka.
• Education is another important area of cooperation between India and Sri Lanka. India offers scholarship slots annually to deserving Sri Lankan students.
• India might be used to build or renovate Buddhist monasteries, educate young monks, increase the involvement of Buddhist scholars and clergy.

 

Defence & Security Cooperation:

• India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives signed a trilateral maritime security cooperation agreement to enhance surveillance, anti-piracy operations, and reduce maritime pollution in the Indian Ocean region.
• A trilateral coast guard exercise including the Maldives is the third joint exercise, known as "Dosti."
• Colombo and New Delhi have long history of security cooperation. In recent years, the two sides have steadily increased their military-to-military relationship. 
• India and Sri Lanka conduct joint Military (‘Mitra Shakti’) and Naval exercise (SLINEX).
• The Sri Lankan force is also trained by India in defence.
• India and Sri Lanka also reached an agreement in April 2019 to combat human and drug trafficking.
• The Sri Lankan Prime Minister expressed gratitude to the Indian government for all of the provided "assistance" after the tragic Easter bombings.
• The civilian nuclear cooperation component is the most important because it calls for "exchanging knowledge and skills, sharing resources, building capacity, and educating workers in peaceful uses of nuclear energy."

Strategic Importance:

• In the broadest sense, Sri Lanka, which is located at the southernmost point of peninsular India, is strategically significant for India.
• Britain constructed a major naval base at Trincomolee on the island's eastern coast after realising the strategic importance of Sri Lanka for the security of British India and the Indian Ocean.
• This island nation is situated between the main shipping lanes connecting Europe with East Asia and the oil tanker routes connecting the Gulf oil producing nations with China, Japan, and other Pacific nations.
• India also places a strategic value on Sri Lanka in terms of her Indian Ocean strategy and her efforts to network with partners in order to achieve her goals of forming an Indian Ocean Rim Community.
• As naval ships must pass through Sri Lanka while switching from the Bay of Bengal to the Arabian Sea and vice versa, it is essential for the Indian Navy.
• Deepwater ports with the capacity to accommodate large vessels.

 

Issues & Conflict Between India-Sri Lanka:

China Factor–Strategic Issues:

• China has recently provided the Sri Lankan government with billions of dollars in loans for new infrastructure projects, which is bad for India's strategic depth in the Indian Ocean region (IOR).
• China received a 99-year lease from Sri Lanka for the important port of Hambantota. Although Chinese seized control of the port by portraying themselves as commerce, India's security establishment was concerned that China would use the Hambantota port for military operations.
• China has also been supplying arms and provide huge loans to Sri-Lanka for its development.
• Sri Lanka reportedly began favouring China over India during the period of low-profile relations between the two countries.
• In line with its Maritime Silk Route (MSR) policy, China constructed two ports: one in Colombo and another in Hambantota.
• With Supreme SAT (Pvt.), the sole satellite operator in Sri Lanka, China has also worked together on satellite launch projects.

 

Fishermen Issues:

• Since ancient times, Indian boats have been fishing in the turbulent Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannar.
• In 1974 and 1976 treaties were signed between the India-Sri Lanka to demarcate International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).
• However, the treaties neglected to take into account the misery of thousands of traditional fishermen who were forced to restrict their fishing forays to a small area.
• They used the small islet of Katchatheevu to sort their catch and dry their nets, and it was on the other side of the IMBL.
• Fishermen frequently take the risk of crossing the IMBL rather than return home empty-handed.
• The high alert, however Fishermen who had crossed the border had their fishing nets and vessels destroyed or arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy.

 

Indian intervention in the Sri-Lankan Civil War:

• The two largest ethnic groups in Sri Lanka are the Tamils and the Sinhalese. Since before independence, the Sinhalese and Tamils have been engaged in a continuous tussle.
• The Sri Lankan government and the separatist rebel force known as the Tigers of Tamil Eelam fought each other in this civil war from the 1970s to the 1980s.
• In 1987, India's Tamil people was the target of growing resentment.
• India had no choice but to intervene in the Sri Lankan civil war since it endangered India's territorial integrity, national security, and unity.
• In order to carry out a peacekeeping mission, India also sent its Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) to Sri Lanka (It is known as Operation Pawan, which ultimately resulted in the assassination of PM Rajiv Gandhi).
• India subsequently designated the LTTE as a terrorist organisation in 1992. India supported the peace effort when bilateral relations improved in the 1990s, but it has rejected requests to get engaged again.
• On May 19, 2009, President Mahinda Rajapaksa gave a victory speech to the Sri Lankan Parliament, declaring that "Sri Lanka is liberated from terrorism." This marked the official ending of the conflict.

 

Other Issues:

• The joint venture with India to manage the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport has not progressed as planned. The China-run Hambantota port is not far from Mattala Airport.
• The Sampur Thermal Power Station Project, which is located in Sri Lanka's Eastern Province, was meant to be undertaken by Indian Public Sector Undertaking National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC). The project was cancelled because of environmental problems.
• President Sirisena said that Indian intelligence services were preparing an assassination plot against him in October 2018.

 

Practical Suggestions:

• There is potential for strengthening and deepening the ties because India-Sri Lanka are democratically governed.
• Sri Lanka should continue the reconciliation process in the meantime to realise the aspirations of the Tamil people for equality, justice, peace, and respect.
• Colombo and New Delhi will work closely together in the area of counterterrorism, which needs for significant intelligence exchange.
• It is necessary to sign the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) for the economic cooperation between the two nations to improve.
• India has a great advantage over China when it comes to bilateral relations with Sri Lanka because of their strong civilizational and cultural links.
• Nearly 95,000 refugees who live in Tamil Nadu should be encouraged to return to Sri Lanka voluntarily, and New Delhi should attempt again to make this happen.

The two neighbours' relationships in IOR appear to be improving despite some outstanding concerns. After the FTA went into effect in 2000, trade between the two countries increased quickly. It is possible to hope that in the near future, with better ties on the horizon, the ethnic and fishermen's issues will also be handled. India views the Palk Bay region as a shared history between the two nations, and Sri Lanka has promised not to allow anyone to use Sri Lankan soil against India.

                                                                                                 By Anil Kumar Mishra

References:

PIB, The Hindu, Ministry of External Affairs, Consulate General of India…