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Although in the initial days he was advised to seek a negotiated settlement with the Tamil Tigers, New Delhi saw merit in Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse's argument that the LTTE was only biding its time to regroup and rearm itself and that war was inevitable sooner than later, says 'Sri Lanka, From War to Peace', by journalist Nitin Gokhale.
Defence and Strategic Affairs Editor with NDTV, Gokhale covered the 33-month Eelam War in Sri Lanka.
The Mi-17s that India 'quietly gifted' to Lanka were in addition to a Sukanya class offshore patrol vessel also gifted by the Indian Coast Guard to the Sri Lankan Navy in 2002. The choppers played a major role in several daring missions launched by the Sri Lankan Air Force to rescue the army's deep penetration units and injured soldiers from deep inside LTTE-held territory, the book says.
"Hampered by domestic compulsion, New Delhi could not go beyond such meagre and clandestine transfer of military hardware. Publicly all India was willing to acknowledge was the supply of low-flying detection "Indra" radars to the Sri Lankan Air Force since this equipment was considered a defensive apparatus," the author says.
Gokhale quotes senior Sri Lankan army officers saying that thanks to the Mi-17s, the soldiers operating behind enemy lines functioned with a greater degree of confidence since they knew these choppers were always at hand to come to their rescue whenever necessary. This surely was the key factor in our Special Forces delivering spectacular results.
Not wanting to annoy its Tamil Nadu allies like the DMK unnecessarily, New Delhi had a 'politically most important message' conveyed to Colombo to try and conclude the war against the LTTE (called Eelam War IV) before the summer of 2009 when India was expected to hold the general elections, Gokhale says.
"The Rajapakse regime was nothing if not shrewd". Aware of dynamics that determined India's Lankan policies, it was also conscious of India's anxiety in losing strategic space in Sri Lanka. The Rajapakse brothers were pragmatic enough to realize that Lanka needed India's support in war against the LTTE, total support from China and Pakistan notwithstanding".
Colombo could ignore India but only upto a point, the
author says.
So Mahinda Rajapakse hit upon an idea of an informal exchange mechanism between New Delhi and Colombo. He nominated both his brothers - Basil (MP and Presidential advisor) and Gotabaya, the Defence Secretary along with his own secretary Lalith Weeratunga.
India too reciprocated immediately. The Indian team comprised National Security Advisor M K Narayanan, Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon and Defence Secretary Vijay Singh.
Colombo may have been ambivalent about meeting Indian requests to end the operations before the general elections but the Sri Lankan leadership once again gratefully acknowledged the Indian Navy's contribution in locating and destroying at least 10 'floating warehouses' owned by the LTTE that were used by the Tigers to store arms, ammunition and even armoured personnel carriers.
Well-coordinated operations by the two navies between 2006 and 2009 actually broke the backbone of the Sea Tigers, Gokhale says.
Also, under an agreement between the two countries, the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard frequently sent out ships to patrol the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar. Presence of warships and Indian patrol vessels acted as firm deterrence against the Sea Tigers, the book says.
The book also notes the transformation of the Sri Lankan Air Force and Navy into lethal forces that played vital roles in victory over the LTTE. "The Sri Lankan Air Force had indeed come a long way from its inglorious days in the 1990s when it lost three aircraft to the LTTE's ground fire in the assault on Jaffna".
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As if one did not know that the Indian army was neck deep in involvement with the crushing of the freedom struggle in Sri Lanka. The Indian government was reported to have even instructed the Indian armed services to patrol the highseas to catch the LTTE cadre. However, the fact remains that the LTTE cadre were the bravest of the lot, and the Indian armed services would have been doing a more divinely ordained job if it had gone hunting the feudal, corrupt, and thieving Indian bureaucrats, has done an evil job. Would the gods forgive them?
Channel 4 News, UK, 25 August 2009 shows footage claimed to show Sri Lankan forces executing Tamils earlier this year. Jonathan Miller reports.Just three months after the Sri Lankan government declared the country liberated from the Tamil Tigers, video footage has emerged apparently showing government troops summarily executing Tamils.Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka, which obtained the material, said it was filmed in January - when the international media were prevented by the Sri Lankan government from covering the conflict zone. The Sri Lankan government launched a large scale military offensive in January capturing the Tamil Tiger held town of Kilinochchi.The army then steadily pushed the rebels into an small area of the north-east.Be warned - there are extremely disturbing scenes in this report from our foreign affairs correspondent Jonathan Miller.
Hello Tamilians,don't get wrought up without having any substantial proof of Indian hand behind this socalled Lanka's victory over LTTE.This is no victory and Govt of SriLanka has some or the other how managed to suppress the revolting (justifiabley)LTTE which had gone too far to use violence and neglected coming to some kind of healthy compromise.LTTE action might have helped few but to majority Tamilians it resulted ruinous in every aspect of life.I wish and hope Tamilians will continue with their struggle for equal rights and introduction of Tamil language like Singhalese but they should change tactics.The tactics has to be humane peaceful and civilized.Fighting for autonomy or independence is foolish which gives no sense.Why can't we live together respecting each others values,afterall Budhism is interdenomination of our religion and has very similar tradions.Its rumor spread by idiotic Congress that India helped SL Govt for India has failed to control Naxals,Maoists,ULFA,Kash etc
why happy indian asshole ask us to leave our TAMILNADU..if they want..let them grant FREEDOM TO TAMILNADU...INDIA CAN LEAVE TAMILNADU.... GOT IT....you have no rights to say that we should leave india..India is a UNION OF STATES...understand ...not a single country..... IF STATES want to get freedom...they CAN...Read international LAW
India has done well in extending its military support of a low key type to Sri Lanka in helping the latter in getting rid of the Tamil Tigers.Yet India has made a grievous mistake in supporting the Maoists in Nepal in their fight against the monarchy and efforts to capture the government.The Nepalese Maoist leader Prachanda is going to be a long term problem for India.He is very likely to support China and help the Indian Naxalites.
TSUNAMI hit a few Asian countries and killed many innocent people. A little introspection in calamity gives you that affected areas are not peaceful for many years, at least the law and order is not in place.However, it has taught a big lesson to Indonesian rebels who learnt quickly that fighting wars is a stupid rather than fighting to survive against natural calamity.This resulted in peaceful Banda Ache and same applies to Bangkok. However, the LTTE did not learn any lesson from TSUNAMI and in fact the Tamil's who supported their cause. The result is history!Can any Tamilian can tell me what the LTTE has achieved in the last two decades? Probably, it has caused more harm than help!After all innocent people who died did not do any crime, but who is culprit? Culprits are those who supported and funded LTTE activities clandestinely!
When the civil war in Sri Lanka "ended", Pak jumped to say it had a big hand in the Sri Lanka Govt's. victory. India said nothing about its role in supporting the Sri Lankan Govt. This shows that India is poor at publicity and propaganda, as it has always been, thanks to its tin-pot Indian Information Service and its slow politicians.
There is no need of book in this regard. This is an unreversable mistake of India to support srilanka to kill number of innocent civilians in the name of destroying LTTE.As a Tamilian and more that than a normal humen we can't forgive India and srilanka for ot's crime against humen rights.Balaji Iyer,TorunelveliTamil nadu
LTTE is a breed of cockroaches to be exterminated without mercy at sight.. India can not be held hostage by rabid Tamil politicians like Vaiko, Ramdass and other traitors to India. Jai Ho! Long live Hindustan!
Speak for yourself. This tamilian wholeheartedly supports the Indian govt decision. I'm Indian first, tamilian next. Ifyou don't like india you can leave India as the other guy said.
What moral/human authority to say "leave India"? Who is India to say about me a tamil being born in my Tamil Land? What you say "leave India" will happen by force to all Tamils in India. Tamils wake up and see what is ahead of you, you may be robbed from being in your own land of birth by the North-Indians. One more Ariyan invasion is in the making. Look at the population growth. Whereas TN and Kerala are implementing birth control, all the North Indian states are doing nothing other than corruption. Tamils wake up and open your eyes! We are going to be victims of MK Gandhi's tricks of keeping incompatible and selfish communities togather under one nation "India" , whereas in due course of time the dominant northies will overrun and take our mother land from us.
What do you kow about Aryan invasion?Do you know that there was no such invasion called aryan invasion.Its was created by British.Check fact before talking crap.Remember, All north
you are free to leave India. Don't just benefit from what India offers in terms of lifestyle and money etc. and hate your motherland. Tamils seems to be in support of LTTE, in which case are anti-nationals. Which is a very serious offense. As far as human rights are concerned, you should introspect as to how aware your LTTE brethren are about the Human Rights. In war bad things happen, but then depends on who pulled the war. Give me one war which has not affected communities. But I cant my soldier to 'talk' when the enemy has a gun.
First and foremost why should we leave India just for commenting on the atrocities that Indian Forces committed?. This is the attitude of fellow Indians that we should always praise the politicians and their decisions, my community was killed in the Island with the weapons from India and if I dont raise the voice who will?. Why did India intervened and created Bangaladesh in the first place, is it because it was muslims who are getting killed correct?. Why not the same logic being applied to Srilanka, was it because the blood of tamilians were thinner than muslims?. How dare the Indian Union reject 4 unanimous resolutions of the TamilNadu State Assembly urging Indian Union to exercise its influence in stopping the war?. Had these someother Kulkarnis or Agarwals being killed like this, India would have send enough resources to ensure that they are protected, it was because we are tamilians we are treated like this. Day-by-Day my fellow tamil fisherman are getting killed by Srilankan Army, why is that Indian Union didnt do anything to stop it and let our fisherman die?. When North Indian students were attacked in Australia, India uses its full force to stop the attacks, but when my fellow illiterate fisherman getting killed, Indian Union will simply watch that atrocity correct? And we should not raise our voice against this?. What a arrogant attitude?. This war was waged to quench the thirst of one lday, just for her husband she killed thousands of husbands and orphaned thousands of kids. God is watching everything and she has to answer him on the Judgement day. Whoever stabs in the back, Whatever roadblocks are Tamil Eelam will blossom one day.
I tend to agree with You about the ruthless revenge on thousands innocent lives by blood thirsty leaders. I like to correct Youabout one thing. Remove the name Kulkarni. Kulkarnis are from Southern Maharashtra
Terrorism in any form to be eliminated forcefully, this was happened in Srilanka against LTTE. The SriLanka govt. gave enough time to LTTE for an arms down surrender, but they didn't. Now, this is SriLanka govt
The immediate reaction to book contents on any involvement of India on the Srilankan offensive to route the LTTE will be denied by the Indian authorities. Also India knows that with out on of the permanent member of the Security council no major offensive can take place be it against terrorists or a civil war. Engagement of Pakistan in the so called West Pakistan became possible because of India signing a peace treaty with Russia. The Pakistan’s offensive against Swat-valley had full consent of USA. China played a role of big brother of Srilanka that made things easy to end LTTE. . If what India offered was used in the war that would have been a drop in the ocean in the process of victory
India fake democracy and internal terrorist , corruption protraying leaders and their family as equal to king. India can't able to solve internal terrorist issue , but they showed helping hand for others. Its personal mandata of a individual wish whole nation support SL army and its government. SONIA who is she?. Why congress can't find leader apart from Nehru family. It show no unity in India. Fake unity. Soon India will become Africa.With bursting population , corruption extra will spoil.
Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram is changed to Fake, Beggars, of Colonial trait thats why Colombo achieved salvation from the colonial hegemony. Kathmandu will get salvation form the colonial hegemony soon. Colonial hegemony is the main hindrance for the progress of this region.
Unfortunately, almost most Tamils have been supportive of the LTTE. There is no separation between the Tamil people and the LTTE. Although reader Joseph is trying to distance the LTTE/Rajiv Gandhi assasination away from the Tamil people. The hidden help that India gave Sri Lanka was too little too late. China and Pakistan did much better and they are now reaping the benefits of that assistance.
Now it seems like "Book Season" revealing secrets. Now we know why our ruling party has "Hand" as its symbol!
Oh no ! another book. We won't have any time to go to work with so many books coming out from the wood work. I dread to think if some one will write a book "hidden hand in Baluchistan".
Leave this to MMS. Soon he will write hidden hand in Baluchistan
Sir, This has ref to the news item of Indias hidden hand behind Srilankas...From all known accounts the Indian foreign policy was to ensure that Srilanka did not alienate itself from India in their war against l.T.T.E.This terririst organisation had a nomber of sympathisers from Tamil nadu political paryties.The govt had to act with caution to ensure that Srilanka does not come under the influence of eighther Pakistan or China who are known to have anti Indian policy.at the same time keep the plitical parties of T.N from scoring points over Govts Srilankan policy. By weaning Srilanka on our side our govt can influence Srilankan govt to give the Srilankan timils their due share in exercising their rights as Srilankan citizens.Having helped Silanka to achieve their goazl to get rid of the terrorist organisation it should be our Govts endevour to ensure that the tamils of Srilanka get their due share if power They should not loose sight of this goal.
Thanks to the killing machines provided and supported by the political establishment of New Delhi and Tamilnadu we have a nation of tamil refugees worst war prisoners in camps.Let this parties answer what they intend to do to this 300,000 tamil people locked up in army camps and also the 20,000 tamil people killed in the fighting between Tigers and Sri Lankan army. History has taught us time and again ( Sikh, Muslim , Christians raped and killed ) it is not possible to get away so easily. It is best interest of our nation, we introspect and take necessary action to correct the short sighted diplomacy. What is even worse is we are burning a strong tamil eelam - tamilandu people relationship for ages to come.God bless our leaders and let them have the courage to face this and rectify the situation. Let us not get carried away by the LTTE terrorism and Rajiv Gandhis murder.