By TON Research Section

Sri Lanka's geo-strategic location is significant from the fact that it is nearly in the center of Asia and its sea lines between the Far East and the African and Arab worlds. The site gives the island a central position on the maritime trade route between West and East Asia.  Ships passes from Yangon and Calcutta goes from west to the Suez and the Cape and  those sailing from Bombay or the Gulf and eastward to Singapore use Sri Lanka's excellent harbors in Colombo and Trincomalee. The island nation thus occupies a vital place in the critical sea lines of communication. Much of the trade and naval activity in the Indian Ocean can be monitored from here. Trincomalee has the capability to serve as a key naval base and an extra regional naval force could fully dominate the sea routes in the area including those of India and could disrupt Indian shipping easily. Therefore, it plays an important role in its security, as it occupies one of the most exposed and central position of any country in the world.  India wants Sri Lanka, the island nation to be part of India's coastal and naval defense. Sri Lanka views it is a design of India expansionism and direct interference in its internal affairs.

The nature of relations between the two countries Sri Lanka and India on the basis of threat perceptions and suspicions are manifold.  The ethno composition of Sri Lanka and majority of Sri Lankan people whether they are Sinhala, Tamil or Muslim belong to the same ethnic stock as India's population and cultural affinities extend not only to religion like Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam but also to language. The Tamil language is common to Tamil Nadu as well as north Sri Lanka. Though the Sinhalese are the majority community in Sri Lanka in comparison to the Tamils of Sri Lanka but together with the Tamils of Tamil Nadu from India, they suffer from a minority complex. These factors have played a major role in Sri Lanka, determining its course of events in dealing between the two countries. India is purposely forcing its Tamil origin population as tool to create unrest and chaos inside Sri Lanka, due to which Sri Lankan authorities are facing severe law and order issues.

To meet the difficult situation following the riots, Sri Lanka planned to assume a military solution to the problem. Thus a series of steps were taken whereby Sri Lanka approached other countries for political and military help. India was not asked for similar help as its sympathies lay with the Sri Lankan Tamils. These moves of Sri Lanka resulted in facilitating the strategic presence of the forces hostile to India's security interests. As Sri Lanka in itself was not a threat to India but the latter feared that by these measures the island nation would only become a seat for outside influences. The relevance of India's security concern prompted India to involve itself in the Sri Lankan crises first in the capacity as a mediator and later through IPKF.

The divergences also arise owing to the differences of views between both the countries and the manner in which they have tried to accommodate their interests regarding Tamil issue. It is clear that given the size of the two countries, straight threat is received from India to Sri Lanka. The two countries are separated at the closest point by 22 miles. As far as direct threat to India's territorial integrity is concerned, it does not have any threat from Sri Lanka but has the apprehension that any power gaining a foothold in Sri Lanka, might be in a position detrimental to the security of India.

Additionally, Sri Lanka being an island nation dealing with security perceptions brings  the important issue of the place island country in India's naval defense perceptions, which is an important aspect while dealing with the security discernments of India's other immediate neighbors. Such threats have necessarily resulted in a divergence of security approaches and perceptions of both the countries. This is one of the reasons that India's actions were motivated by its desire to not only increase its regional influence but also to preserve its multiethnic provinces intact like Tamil Nadu from any insurgency in the future. The Sri Lankan Tamils attempt of secessionism, if become successful could influence the Indian state of Tamil Nadu which would be the first to demand secession from India. It is in this respect that the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka is the foremost importance to India. Along with this by interference in Sri Lanka it wants to win the hearts of its 50 million Tamil citizens of India who were sympathetic to the Tamils of Sri Lanka.

For Sri Lanka, the concern arises from the existence of a minority complex of the majority Sinhalese community when seen in comparison with the Tamils of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu separated hardly by 22 miles in the Palk Strait. The permanency in this reality will always give rise to doubts and suspicions about its only neighbor, India. It is in-between these limits that the two countries divergences and convergences will have to be express. India is the country which is interfering in Sri Lanka since long. India’s government actions and the growing political power of the military are instead generating new grievances that increase the risk of an eventual return to violence into Sri Lanka.

Previously, after the   riots, refugees started fleeing to Tamil Nadu. The Sri Lankan question became of concern for the people in the Indian state, and it eventually grew into a major political issue in Tamil Nadu. With this, the populist Dravidian political parties saw the potential increase their political hegemony. Close links were built between Indian Tamil political parties and activists (primarily DMK and DK). Moreover, Sri Lankan Tamil militants trained and assisted by both the Tamil Nadu government by the order of the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and the state government of India for violent incidents inside Sri Lanka. Not only they had an easy access to weapons but they were also involved in gems and drugs smuggling and other similar contrabands.

Therefore, it is better advised that India should refrain itself from interfering not only in Sri Lanka but also its other neighbors countries which are fed up from Indian involvements in their territories by one or other, which has  jeopardized  the regional stability of  South Asia and created a war like situation in the area.