The Sri Lankan president is unlikely to have a smooth ride since several European Union countries as well as rights groups want to try him for war crimes.
Mahinda Rajapaksa may have won the election, but the manner in which the Lankan army has surrounded opponent Sarath Fonseka’s hotel, reinforces the general view that the president has been running a brutal regime.
India is uneasy, but is unlikely to make noise. While New Delhi officially denied Fonseka sought its help, sources in the government said otherwise.
However, there is little chance India will go out on a limb for the former army chief. It is keen that things settle down quickly and the president pays full attention to rebuilding war-torn Jaffna.
Rajapaksa is unlikely to have a smooth ride, though. Several European Union countries as well as rights groups want to try him for war crimes. The US, too, has backed the move.
At the human rights council, India and China have been the chief protectors of Rajapaksa. Beijing has had excellent ties with Colombo from the time of Sirimavo Bandaranaike. In recent years, with China flushed with cash and ready to show its dominance in the region, the ties have flourished. New Delhi knows well that taking a tough line with Rajapaksa will push Colombo straight into Beijing’s waiting arms.
“The next few months will be difficult for Sri Lanka as Rajapaksa deals with Fonseka. Violence cannot be ruled out as the opposition comes under attack from a triumphalist government. It’s time for New Delhi to take a long, hard look at its Sri Lanka policy. A drift now, with nothing given to the minorities, will foster yet another armed insurgency in a few years,” KV Rajan, a former diplomat, said.
Fonseka has openly claimed he will be killed. Considering that so many opponents of the government have been bumped off, his fear appears genuine.
Privately, Indian officials concede that Rajapaksa’s victory was a given. While large-scale corruption was an issue, Rajapaksa has tremendous following among the Sinhala-Buddhists of the South. Though Foneska is admired, Rajapaksa has been in the political field for decades and has a strong base among the rural population.
The president needs to deliver and India is keen that he reaches out to Tamils quickly. If better sense does not prevail and Sinhala chauvinism takes over, the island state is in for another period of turmoil. New Delhi cannot afford to antagonise its own Tamil population once again.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}