H. E. Mr. Prasad Kariyawasam

H. E. Mr. Prasad Kariyawasam
H. E. Mr. Prasad Kariyawasam

India and Sri Lanka have historical ties which have stood the test of time. There have been issues concerning the Sri Lankan Tamils, particularly the LTTE, which have soured relations. After the defeat of the LTTE, Sri Lanka is poised for robust development and growth. ANA spoke with H E Mr. Prasad Kariyawasam, High Commissioner of Sri Lanka, to obtain his views on the future of India-Sri Lanka relations.

ANA: India and Sri Lanka have shared history dating back to Emperor Ashoka who introduced Buddhism to your country. Even so, their relationship soured during the 1980s. Was there a conflict of interests and what was the reason behind this?

HE: That was an aberration and a result of few misconceptions on some issues resulting in a temporary trust deficit. In recent years, our multifaceted relationship has reached new heights marked by close contacts at the highest level with important visits taking place between the two countries at regular intervals, especially since the end of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka.

ANA: With the LTTE having been defeated after a protracted struggle, Excellency, is Sri Lanka on the right path to win the peace? And do you think implementation of the 13th Amendment is the solution?

HE: The Government has embarked upon a structured dialogue with key Tamil political parties to pursue home-grown solutions towards national reconciliation. The Government will consult all sections of the Tamil people and their emerging new leadership as well. To facilitate this process, local government elections will be held in the entire country in March. Very soon all local government institutions in the North and East will be in place. We held Eastern Provincial Council elections two years ago and now a former Tamil militant, Mr Pillayan, is functioning as Chief Minister of the East after people elected him. The Provincial Council system was established under the 13th Amendment and if the people want any changes to the existing system, it has to be a home-grown solution which will meet the aspirations of all the communities.

[expand title="Read More"]ANA: Sri Lanka appears to have issues with the role of the United Nations in your country particularly after international human rights organizations rejected the Lessons Leant and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) and supported the UN Secretary General's appointment of a panel of experts to advise him on Sri Lankan issues. Your Government’s position is that there is no need for the panel to make its own findings. Excellency, why is it that the Government is averse to the UN panel – after all the UN panel will also be an independent body.

HE: The Government has taken necessary steps to realize national reconciliation following the successful defeat of a terrorist group that was considered by some invincible.

One of the important steps towards that end was the appointment of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) by the Government of Sri Lanka to address, among other things, the accountability aspect. The objective of the Government was to provide restorative justice but not to seek retributive justice. After all restorative justice is very much in the grain of our age-old civilizational ethos. In this context the Commission has been given wide powers, comprises eminently qualified Commissioners and has been provided adequate resources to perform its task. There was no reason to cast doubt on this home-grown effort and especially on the ability of the Commission to discharge its mandate adequately to the satisfaction of all concerned or to prejudge its possible outcomes. It is important to support the Commission to perform its functions without bringing pressure on the basis of extraneous factors and prejudices. Sri Lanka must be allowed space to evolve home grown solutions to our own difficulties. Many governments, including these of India and the US, have welcomed the appointment of the Commission as similar mechanisms had been found useful in other post-conflict situations. Therefore any outside interventions at this juncture is totally counter productive.

Sri Lanka has a rich judicial history going back centuries and it could be expected that the Commissioners would conduct their investigations in conformity with those judicial standards. Proposals to conduct international investigations and appointing international panels not only would duplicate the work of the Commission but would cast doubt on the ability of the Commissioners.

ANA: New challenges are emerging that have wider security implications. While India remains critical for the security of Sri Lanka, China is emerging as a power that cannot be ignored, particularly in the Indian Ocean. Do you think that Sri Lanka will be able to establish a balance between the competing interests of the two Asian giants? China building Hambanthota port has been a hot topic of discussion for strategic analysts in India.

HE: We have good relations with all the countries including China and Pakistan. But as the President said recently "others are friends, while India is our relation". The Hambantota Port and other infrastructure projects are purely commercial projects. We conduct business with many countries including India and China: While China builds the Hambantota Port, which is owned by Sri Lanka Ports Authority, India is involved in several massive projects to reconstruct the Kankasanthrai Harbour and Palali airport, Jaffna-Vavuniya rail track in the North, and to construct a coal power plant near Trincomalee in the East.

ANA: Excellency, how do you see security and economic relations developing between India and Sri Lanka in the medium and long term?

HE: The economic ties between India and Sri Lanka are very strong. Sri Lanka is India's largest trade partner among SAARC countries. Trade between the two countries has grown rapidly after the entry into force of the India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement in March 2000, bilateral trade multiplying nearly five-fold by the year 2008. The investor presence of Indian companies in Sri Lanka has increased in the recent past with prominent Indian names such as IOC, TATA, LIC, Bharti Airtel, Piramal Glass, L&T, Ashok Leyland and Taj Hotel. Several other leading business houses in India are now exploring investment links with Sri Lanka. Similarly, some Sri Lankan blue-chip companies have already invested in several flagship projects in India.

ANA: Both Sri Lanka and India are now among Asian nations that are on the higher economic growth path. Sri Lanka has seen rapid growth especially since the end of the armed conflict. Our strategic location provides unique opportunities for both Sri Lanka and India to work together for greater linkages with the extra regional centres of economic activity for common benefit and advantage. The economic opportunities available as well as Sri Lanka's natural beauty and diversity of landscape, fauna and flora and cultural richness have resulted in the number of visitors travelling for business, rest and recreation to Sri Lanka especially from India's increase exponentially.

ANA: Sri Lanka's Human Development Index is comparable to that of developed countries. This is in spite of the fact that the country has been embroiled in ethnic conflict for decades. How do you account for this great positive?

HE: As islanders Sri Lankans are resilient and adaptable people who are able to absorb winds of change successfully. Universal free education and free health schemes were introduced by our leaders as we re-emerged from long years of colonial rule. We are the first country in Asia to introduce universal franchise way back in 1931 and Sri Lankan women enjoyed voting rights even before some of the European women. The emancipation of women contributed greatly towards enhancement of the physical quality of life of the household and by extension society. In this context, we are way ahead in human development indices such as the literacy rate, longevity and the low rates of child mortality, pregnancy and death. As a cumulative result we have developed a skilled manpower base as well.