Executive Summary
Post-colonial democratic Sri Lanka
adopted a divisive Constitution that essentially colonized the minority Tamil
population of the North and East. Initially, the Sri Lankan Tamils (Tamils)
started a movement that was peaceful. Successive negotiations and deals were
unilaterally violated by successive SL Governments (SLG) leading to a severe
rupture in trust between ethnic Sinhalese and Tamils which blew into violent
conflict.
The Indo-Sri Lanka Accord of 1987 had
many opponents in India , Sri Lanka , and among the Tamils. The failure of the
Accord, disastrous Indian experience with the Indian Peace Keeping Force, and
Rajiv Gandhi assassination paralyzed Indian policy on Sri Lanka.
A military stalemate early 21st
Century brought Norwegian negotiated ceasefire which created internal
divisions among Tamils and a rearming of the Sri Lankan Army (SLA). Ceasefire
and human rights violations by the SLA and LTTE became rampant and ultimately
broke into Civil War.
Despite limitations imposed by warring
parties, domestic politics, and past experiences, India cannot be a silent
spectator since it has several strategic interests at stake. Assuming
diplomatic leadership, introducing human rights monitoring in Sri Lanka,
establishing track 2 dialogue with the LTTE, creating a contact group in South
India, and sensitizing the SLG on reality are some of the steps India must
undertake immediately.
Background and Policy Hibernation
Ceasefire, Human Rights Violations & Peace Talks
India's
Role
Ceasefire
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SLMM Collapses, Ceasefire
Dead as Civil War Looms
(August 02, 2006)
Sri Lanka moved ground
troops following air force
raids on a “humanitarian
operation” to take control
of a water reservoir in an
ill-defined area but
controlled by the Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
sparking the Tamils to
declare the ceasefire dead.
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-
LTTE Wants EU Monitors
Removed
(June 22, 2006)
The Liberation Tigers of
Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has
categorically told Norwegian
peace facilitators in Sri
Lanka that it will not
accept truce monitors from
the European Union (EU)
because of the
terrorism-related ban on
LTTE in Europe.
-
Oslo
Talks Non-Starter
(June 09, 2006)
The Liberation Tigers of
Tamil Eelam (LTTE) surprised
Norway facilitators saying
that they will not meet with
the Sri Lankan Government (SLG)
delegation as it was not
representative of Sri Lanka
and also because of the
presence of European Union
members.
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Lanka
and LTTE Agrees for
Ceasefire
(February 24, 2006)
The Sri Lankan Government (SLG)
and the Liberation Tigers of
Tamil Eelam (LTTE) concluded
Norway facilitated direct
talks in Geneva agreeing to
4 action items and promised
to meet again in April.
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Norway
Criticizes LTTE (
January 16, 2006)
The Norwegian-led truce
monitoring mission in Sri
Lanka criticized the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam of violating the
ceasefire that has cause 125
deaths since December 2005.
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Peace Dialogue
Terrorism
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Lankan Deputy Army Chief
Killed
(June 28, 2006)
Suspected Liberation Tigers
of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
suicide bomber rammed his
motorcycle on a car carrying
Deputy Chief of Sri Lankan
Army killing him and 3
others and injuring 8.
-
A day after the Sri Lanka
called on the
international community to
ban the Liberation Tigers
of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), it
deployed a suicide bomber
to assassinate a senior
decorated military
commander seen as a hawk
wanting stricter action
against LTTE.
-
A senior Sri Lankan
Government (SLG)
functionary accused the
LTTE of failure to
continue with the peace
process and honoring
ceasefire agreements and
called on the European
Union (EU) to
follow-through with its
threat to ban the outfit.
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US Calls LTTE as
"Reprehensible Terrorist
Group"
(January 25, 2006)
The United States
Under-Secretary of State
Nicholas Burns described the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam as a "reprehensible
terrorist group" keeping Sri
Lanka "on the edge of war."
Humanitarian
-
Disappearances on Rise in
South Asia
(September, 06 2006)
As nations of
South Asia fight terrorism,
Amnesty International (AI)
says that “enforced
disappearances” of people is
growing and while “new
patterns” are emerging from
Pakistan, Nepal, and Sri
Lanka.
-
Lanka Promises Large Aid for
Tamil Areas
(July 12, 2006)
Sri Lankan President Mahinda
Rajapakse asked his advisors
to study the Indian
devolution model to share
power with Tamils of the
North and North East and
promised a USD 1.25 billion
tranche as means to bring
the bloody ethnic feud to an
end.
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SLMM Says Lanka Army behind
Civilian Killings (May
12, 2006)
For the first time, the Sri
Lankan Monitoring Mission (SLMM)
has acknowledged that the
Sri Lankan Army (SLA),
sponsored militia, and rebel
factions of Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
have been behind civilian
disappearances and
extra-judicial killings.
-
LTTE
Break-off Faction Threatens
Supporters (April
04, 2006)
A break off faction of
Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam (LTTE) has threatened
its supporters of dire
consequences if they did not
vacate homes and businesses
seized by the mainline group
from the Muslims of the
island in 1990.
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HRW
Accuses LTTE
(March 16, 2006)
US-based Human Rights Watch
(HRW) said that the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam (LTTE) is extorting
money from Tamil populations
settled in Canada, Britain,
and Europe often under
threat of serious
consequences.
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UNICEF
Accuses LTTE (February 18, 2006 )
In response to a call from
the United Nations Children
Education Fund (UNICEF), the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam (LTTE) announced that
it release 28 child
soldiers.
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LTTE
Condemns Kidnap of 5 Tamils
(February 02, 2006)
The LTTE strongly reacted to
the abduction of five Tamil
aid workers by unidentified
men. It said that it could
be "Sri Lankan forces or it
may be the Karuna group."
Indian Interests
-
SLA Claims Military
Successes as TN Censures It
(August 21, 2006)
The Sri Lankan Army has
claimed several major
successes against the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam (LTTE) even as the
Tamil Nadu Assembly
unanimously passed a
resolution censuring the
Government for the death of
scores of children by air
attacks.
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LTTE
to Stay Banned, No Lanka
Intervention
(August 10, 2006)
The National Security
Advisor M K Narayanan said
that India has no plans to
lift the ban on the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam (LTTE) and for “direct
intervention” in peace
initiatives in Sri Lanka
where hostilities has
escalated rapidly to civil
war proportions.
-
TN
Politician Says No Aid to
Lanka
(July
20, 2006)
Extreme right wing {Tamil
Nadu} local politician Vaiko
urged the Federal Government
not to provide military,
material, or financial
assistance to Sri Lanka that
would enable “the Sri Lankan
Air Force to strafe and bomb
the Tamil areas, killing
innocent Tamils.”
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LTTE
Regrets Rajiv Gandhi
Assassination
(June 29, 2006)
In a virtual admission of
guilt, the Liberation Tigers
of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Chief
Peace Negotiator and
Ideologue, Anton Balasingham
said that his organization
deeply regretted the
assassination of former
Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
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Lanka
Seeks Indian Help to Resume
Talks
(May 9, 2006)
Sri Lankan Foreign Minister
Mangala Samaraweera met
Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh and opposition leaders
asking for their support to
influence the Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
to resume negotiations
again.
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