Date: 27/03/2013
The Editor
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Sub:- India should finish the task of IPKF in Sri Lanka
Ref:- (i)- India should respect & understand the sacrifice of IPKF and present anger in Tamil Nadu
(ii)- Sensitivities of both Tamils and Sinhalese should be respected in Sri Lanka (SL).
(iii)- India & SL should grow beyond assassination of Rajiv Gandhi and obliteration of LTTE.
(iv)- Federalism some what similar to India should be enough to solve Sri Lanka problem:-
(A)- With civil subjects to States in SL and martial subjects with Union of SL
(B)- With Tamil as official language of Tamil majority State in SL and English as alternative language and Sinhalese as National language.
(v)- India should also insist for IPKF representative in war crimes (by SL Army) investigation in view of UNHRC resolution.
Dear Sir
As if the reflections of non – martial nature of Indian State in India’s dealings with Pakistan (on Kashmir) with China (on border dispute) with Bangladesh on millions of illegal immigrants were not enough that another manifestation of martial deficiency of Indian State has come to the fore through Sri Lanka (SL) problem.
India sent its peace keeping force IPKF in 1987 to SL in which reportedly ~ 1200 military personnel laid down their lives and several thousand got wounded and even India lost its Prime Minister (Rajiv Gandhi who as PM sent IPKF to SL). But India forgot all these as if nothing has happened [India even remained passive spectator during the blood bath of 2009 when LTTE was obliterated by SL Army by committing series of war crimes at mass scale (though it was basically IPKF responsibility to disarm LTTE etc)]
But keeping the sensitivities of ~ 100 million Tamil Indian citizens in view, now Government of India (GOI) should take the matter seriously and do the following especially when all the political parties in Tamil Nadu (TN) are agitated over (i)- Failure of SL to devolve power to Tamils in federal structure though it is the genesis of entire SL Tamil problem and (ii)- Inaction against war crimes of SL Army against Tamil civilians of SL during finishing of LTTE (as reported by UNHRC also through two resolutions) - and as a result not only SL players / cricketers are not being allowed to play in Tamil Nadu in IPL etc but also the Legislative Assembly of TN has passed resolution unanimously on Wednesday requesting GOI to not consider SL as a friendly country :-
(1)- First and foremost India should make it clear that India respects the territorial integrity of SL and India will not ask any thing from SL which India is not doing for its own citizens.
(2)- India should ask SL to implement federal model of India where there should be Tamil majority State / States. Also Tamil will be official language of Tamil majority State and English as alternative language and Sinhalese as National language. The status of Sinhalese can be more or less same as of Hindi in the State of TN in India.
(3)- India should be prepared (which may have repercussions in India too) to agree to the demand of Tamils of SL if they demand genuine Federalism (not a parody of it as in India) where Tamils of SL may demand that in SL :-
(i)- If natural resources do not belong exclusively to States then Federalism has no meaning
(ii)- Centre has military (armed forces) whereas States have police with them. Therefore only martial matters like defense, foreign affairs, national (land, water, air) transport, communication, currency etc should be with federal government whereas every other subject (civil matters) should be with States. Even except railways & airports on national / international routes, other railway / air routes also should be with States.
(4)- Because India sent IPKF in SL [as a consequence sacrificed its PM (Rajiv Gandhi) too] and also agreed that SL could obliterate LTTE and gave all the assistance of intelligence etc for it, therefore India has every right under international law to ask SL to keep representative of IPKF on the body which is investigating war crimes of SL Army against Tamil civilians of SL during military operation against LTTE and other Tamil militant groups.
Hence, India should ask Sri Lanka to declare its programs (A)- for decentralization of power (through Federalism) and (B)- for taking representative of IPKF on war crime investigating body - within a time limit of (say) 2 months. India should further tell SL in no uncertain terms that failing which India will be constrained to take appropriate steps under international laws.
Yours truly
Hem Raj Jain
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