India’s Trincomalee gambit |
Nearly four decades after the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord first envisioned Trincomalee as a strategic pillar of regional cooperation, India and Sri Lanka now appear closer than ever to transforming the historic harbour into a major energy hub in the Indian Ocean
Forty years after the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord, which provided for the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) to assist Sri Lanka in dealing with its twin insurgencies — JVP and LTTE — and gave first right to India to develop Trincomalee Port, the visit of Vice President CP Radhakrishnan last month appeared to have finally sanctified the inter-governmental treaty, making Trinco the energy hub for the region. This could not have come a day too soon, with oil and gas prices rocketing due to the on/off Gulf War. Radhakrishnan was accompanied by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, who has been chargé d’affaires in Colombo. Focus was on two issues: the Trinco energy project and the Tamil question, languishing due to lack of interest by successive governments in Colombo.
The political upheaval in Sri Lanka, like the Gen Z movement in Nepal, ushered in a brand-new Marxist political outfit. JVP, in its new avatar as the National People’s Power alliance, had been involved in two insurrections in 1971 and 1988, and in both instances New Delhi was the first responder.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, in his discussions with Mr Radhakrishnan, highlighted India’s Neighbourhood First policy and its three critical interventions: the economic crisis of 2022, the financial lifeline during the debt crisis, and Cyclone Ditwa. Radhakrishnan noted: “We stand with your successes and struggles like an affectionate elder brother”. The term ‘elder brother’ (Daju in Nepali) did not please all Nepalese, as it is........