Indian element at UNHRC

Traditionally Sri Lanka’s foreign policy has always had a strong partiality for India. The sound reasoning behind this was that since India is the closest neighbour and a regional super power to boot, strong relations with them would be constructive. Yet the spate of events in the last few days suggest that this crucial bulwark is not being optimised by the Government as events speed towards the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) sessions.

 

A taste of tension was given when the Bank of Ceylon branch was attacked in Chennai. The front page news prompted the Sri Lankan Government to seek assurances of heightened security for Sri Lankan businesses. Yet days later the SriLankan Airlines office was attacked, with the Government still unable to give concrete assurances for the safety of their business concerns across the Palk Strait.  

On Thursday Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in a characteristically aggressive move cancelled the 20th Asian Athletics Championships because they would include a team from Sri Lanka. Releasing a statement she had condemned the controversial contents of the latest Channel 4 video and insisted that a Sri Lankan team “had no place” in emotive south India.

Hours later news trickled in of the United National Party (UNP) MP Karu Jayasuriya, who was on a pilgrimage to the temple town of Thirukkadaiyur in Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu, having to return after activists of various political parties, including pro-Eelam outfits, staged a demonstration in that town. Despite Police security, Jayasuriya was unable to visit the place of worship and had opted to return.

Indian media reports recalled that this was the fourth such incident. In 2010, the Speaker W.J.M. Lokubandara, who visited Vaitheeswarankoil faced similar protests. A few months later, slippers were hurled at Neomal Perera, the then Deputy Minister of Fisheries at Karaikal when he was proceeding to Vailankanni. The last incident was in September 2012 when 178 Sri Lankan pilgrims returned on a special flight after being attacked in the same town. Even President Mahinda Rajapaksa was received with protests even though stringent security provided by the Indian Government ensured that he could complete his tour.

In the midst of these tensions, Indian President Pranab Mukherjee has called on the Sri Lankan Government to provide equal rights to its Tamil minority, a strong and open stance that remains unchanged.  Given this string of events, along with the crucial fact that India is yet to decide on whether it will support Sri Lanka on the US resolution at the UNHRC, it seems rather odd that the Government has not made stronger efforts to pacify the concerns of New Delhi and win its strategically important support.

This is even more inexplicable when Sri Lanka clearly saw India’s vote being the key tipping point in the previous jousting match at the UNHRC. Even though New Delhi lobbied extensively behind the scenes to dilute for the first US resolution, its decision to vote in favour caused much consternation from Sri Lanka, with even President Rajapaksa openly criticising them for what was seen as a betrayal.

Despite circumstances stacking up like so many building blocks teetering over Sri Lanka at UNHRC, the Government remains oblivious to stepping up engagement with India. As the eleventh hour sprints forward, this oversight could perhaps pose the biggest challenge of all, stretching beyond UNHRC.