Jayalalithaa’s offensive threatens the Centre’s cosy neighbourliness with Rajapaksa’s Sri Lanka

18 June 2011

BY PC Vinoj Kumar

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa’s tough stand against Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, which large sections of the media have failed to take note of, is likely to have far-reaching political and diplomatic consequences in the Subcontinent. India helped Rajapaksa win his war with the LTTE, which was fighting for a separate Tamil nation, but now Jayalalithaa wants him to be tried for war crimes.
Jayalalithaa, who began her third term as Chief Minister last month, after her party’s landslide victory in the Assembly polls, fired her first salvo against Rajapaksa on 13 May, when the election results were announced. “The President of Sri Lanka must be tried for war crimes and brought before the International Court of Law,” she declared.         more
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Sri Lanka: Prospects of Thirteen Plus and its Forerunner 13th Amendment ( 13A)

19-June-2011

 Guest Column: By Ravi Sundaralingam

 Almost quarter of a century has passed since the infamous 13^th amendments (13A) to the Sri Lankan constitution were made under heavy Indian pressure. It had the Indian sign for failure, some would say, from the beginning following the signing of the Indo-Lanka Accord in July 1987 between President JR Jeyawardene, and Indian Premier Rajiv Gandhi.

 Those believe in superstition are certain that they could have foretold its fate at the instant a Sinhala soldier swung his gun and hit Indra’s son during the guard of honour in his name in Colombo. Soon the LTTE murdered him, in Tamil Nadu of all places, as President Premadasa armed and funded the LTTE to fight his war against India, and the VP Singh government brought home the IPKF at the request of Premadasa.                 Full Story>>>
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India uses UN report on Sri Lanka to assert its interests

By Sarath Kumara
18 June 2011

A visit by a high-level Indian delegation to Sri Lanka last week underscored the tense relations between the two neighbours. New Delhi is particularly concerned about Sri Lanka’s deepening relations with India’s rival, China, and is exploiting a UN report on Sri Lankan war crimes to put pressure on Colombo.

The delegation, headed by National Defence Advisor Shivashankar Menon, included Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar. During the two-day visit from June 10, they met Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, Foreign Minister G. L. Peiris, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse and other senior officials.   More »