Thursday, 12 March 2015 00:00
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INDIAN Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Sri Lanka in the early hours of Friday morning as the first Head of State to do so in nearly three decades, eager to continue a fresh chapter that has had some of its lustre dimmed by recent events.
Modi, never to let an opportunity go begging, has decided to make the most of his two-day stay in Sri Lanka with a packed schedule that will keep everyone on their toes and whizzing to key parts of the country. His visit to the north will also be draped in significance.
In 2013, on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), British Prime Minister David Cameron made a much publicised visit to the north, stopping to talk to the relatives of the missing and internally displaced people who had been kept out of their original homes by sprawling high security zones demarcated under the previous Government.
Following his tour, Cameron issued the famous ultimatum to the Sri Lankan Government, demanding they address human rights concerns in a credible manner or face the prospect of Britain supporting the US on a resolution at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). On its third try, the resolution carried through and an investigation was approved. At that point many analysts felt India had missed a golden opportunity to make its voice heard by boycotting the event.
Fast forward a year and the situation is almost unrecognisable. Modi is stepping into a Sri Lanka caught in a pivotal moment of history. Landmark efforts towards reconciliation are being made with a civilian governor appointed to the north, land systematically released from high security zones and assurances of a credible domestic inquiry into accountability reverberating pleasantly among the international community. Just days ahead of his visit, prominent human rights activist Jeyakumari was released on bail after nearly a year in detention. Civil society and her lawyers insist that the detention was motivated more by her participation in a protest for missing people during Cameron’s previous visit than security concerns. Hope is certainly in the air.
The only wave was caused by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s statements to an Indian TV channel taking a hard line on poaching by Indian fishermen. The sensitive topic caused tidal waves ahead of the visit with the Indian Opposition taking the Indian Government to task over what they termed as aggressive “threats” to shoot fishermen.
Predictably, such a position could cause offense but from the local perspective a tough stance after years of feet-dragging would be welcomed by the northern fishermen if no one else. Moreover, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) raising the issue also creates a stronger bond for a negotiated settlement.
From taking the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) forward to providing support for a domestic accountability mechanism, India has a large role to play in Sri Lanka’s journey forward. For its part, India needs to engage deeper on a more equal footing to keep its dominance in the region from becoming eroded by China and also bolstering larger geopolitical concerns.
Modi’s overtures will certainly be welcomed by Colombo but it will have to rely on its own wisdom on how to move forward with a firm eye on its own interests.
