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INDIA-SRILANKA sri-lanka-and-part-of-southern-india-political-map…

- - - - A 2001 government census says Sri Lanka’s main ethnic populations are the Sinhalese (82%), Tamil (9.4%), and Sri Lanka Moor (7.9%)
        
        There are two types of Tamils in Sri Lanka
        
        Ceylonese Tamils
        
        – Their population is estimated to be 2.5 million.
        
        – They are concentrated in Jaffna and the northern & eastern coast.
        
        Tamils whose forefathers had gone to Sri Lanka centuries ago.
        
        Indian Tamils
        
        – Their population is estimated to be ~ 1 million.
        
        – They are concentrated in the districts of Colombo, Kandy & Trincomalee in traditional tea garden areas.
        
        – Tamils whose forefathers were taken by Britishers as plantation workers.
- - - - Chinese funded infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka
      - Sri Lanka still relies heavily on China for Port city project
    - - British Defence and External Affairs Agreement of 1948
      - Maritime Agreement with USSR of 1962.
      - Voice of America- station (suspected of being used for intelligence gathering purposes and electronic surveillance of the Indian Ocean).
    - - Colombo Port-
      - Port city of Trincomalee
      - Hambantota harbour
  - - - India has trained many Sri Lankan officials at the National Defence Academy and India Military Academy.
      - India and Sri-Lankan navy and coast guards constantly undertake intelligence sharing.
      - India and Sri Lankan armies conduct joint military exercises such as MITRA, SHAKTI, IN-SLN etc.
- - - - The India-Sri Lanka ETCA is being seen as a pivotal move to further enhance bilateral trade between the two countries. Both sides acknowledged the huge potential in India and Sri Lanka trade partnership and the possibilities for enhanced economic relations in areas of mutual interest. India was Sri Lanka's largest trading partner with an overall bilateral merchandise trade of 5.45 billion dollars in 2021.
    - - The RESTORED maiden voyage of Cheriyapani is much more than a transportation milestone. It is a testament to the enduring significance of human interaction.
      - Time was Indo-Ceylon Express sailed between Thoothukkudi and Colombo through the then Madras. It symbolised regional connectivity and cooperation
        
        The outbreak of civil war in the idyllic island country in 1982 saw to the suspension of the ferry services.
    - - Sri Lanka must bring its major creditors including China, India, and Japan, on board for a debt treatment plan agreeable to all, in order to unlock the second tranche of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Extended Fund Facility (EFF).
    - - India exports petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, two-wheelers and vegetables while imports rubber products, spices and electric wires.
      - Indian firms operational in Sri Lanka include Tata, Jet Airways, Ashoka Leyland, Ceat, Apollo etc.
      - Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) plans to establish a six million ton per annum refinery in Sri Lanka.
      - Issue regarding CEPA
        
        Sri Lanka fears that Indian firms may ultimately dominate the Lankan economic space and might eventually lead to the loss of jobs for the Sri Lankan native population.
        
        India envisages services based cooperation in CEPA. However, Sri Lanka has had expressed some reservations. It hopes for more economic and technical cooperation than the increased movement of Indian professionals in Sri Lanka.।
  - - - Military exercise:
        
        India and Sri Lanka conduct joint Military (Mitra Shakti) and Naval exercise (SLINEX).
        
        Joint Military Exercise #MitraShakti_2023 between #India & #SriLanka will be conducted from 16 to 29 Nov 2023 in #Pune.
        
        The exercise aims to enhance interoperability while sharing best practices between the two Armed
      - India has trained many Sri Lankan officials at the National Defence Academy and India Military Academy.
      - India and Sri-Lankan navy and coast guards constantly undertake intelligence sharing.
    - - anti-piracy operations
      - reducing maritime pollution in IOR
      - agreement on countering Drug and Human trafficking.
    - - Sri Lanka, India and Maldives.
        
        “four pillars” of cooperation
        
        marine safety and security,
        
        trafficking and organised
        crime,
        
        Terrorism and radicalisation,
        
        Cyber security
    - - Sukanya class offshore patrol vessel
      - Mi-17
    - - India stressed that it will work with Sri Lanka and the international community to attain the related objectives of legitimate aspirations of Tamils of Sri Lanka and prosperity for all Sri Lankans.।
  - - - Kushinagar Airport in India, the place of Lord Buddha's Mahaparinibbana,as an international airport, to allow Buddhist pilgrims from around the world to visit the revered site
      - first ever pilgrimage to Bodh Gaya for Sri Lankan Armed Forces personnel and their families was organized from 24-26 June 2018.
    - - first project MOU on Solar electrification of religious places in Sri Lanka.
    - - an event to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the arrival of Indian-origin Tamils in Sri Lanka,
        
        Announcement of land and housing rights for plantation workers.
        
        Introduction of the ‘Upcountry Charter’ addressing gender equality, health, and development.
        
        Continued Indian assistance through grants for community development projects.
        
        Commemorative activities to raise awareness and honor the community’s history.
        
        The Plight of Malaiyaha Tamils
        
        They have faced severe discrimination and poor living conditions historically.
        
        Significant delays and challenges in obtaining Sri Lankan citizenship.
        
        Economic backbone in the tea industry, yet remain one of the poorest communities.
    - - Ramayana trail in Sri Lanka and
      - Buddhist circuit in India (Sinhalese are Buddhist).
      - Rabindranath Tagore had influenced Sri Lankan national anthem – “Sri Lanka Matha” (we salute mother, Sri Lanka).
  - - - Nehru – Kotelawala Agreement, 1953: Under the agreement, India agreed to the repatriation of Sri Lankan Tamils who want to accept Indian citizenship. But at the same time, India rejected the Sri Lankan demand of granting citizenship to all Tamils who failed to qualify for Sri Lankan citizenship.
      - Shastri – Sirimavo Agreement, 1964: It sought to solve the problem of 9 lakh 75 thousand stateless persons in Sri Lanka using the following formula:
      - 3 lakh people to get Sri Lankan citizenship.
      - 5 lakh 25 thousand to get Indian citizenship in a period spanning over 15 years.
      - The remaining 1.50 lakh stateless person’s fate was to be decided later.
      - Rajiv – Jayewardene Agreement (Indo-Sri Lanka Accord), 1987 :
      - Creation of an autonomous unit comprising northern and eastern provinces (Tamils are concentrated in this area).
      - Emergency to be lifted from northern and eastern provinces.
      - Grant of official language status to Tamil, Sinhalese and English.
- - - - Indi-Sri Lanka peace accord, 1987
        
        recognition of Tamil as official language.
        
        Sri Lanka government agreed to enact 13th Amendment
        which provided for devolution of powers to provinces
        
        Indian Peacekeeping Mission if LTTE did not agreed to surrender OPERATION PAWAN
        
        result
        
        the LTTE initially agreed to surrender their
        
        arms to IPKF but later refused to surrender. The IPKF found itself in bloody police action against the LTTE and
        
        the mission failed.
      - UN resolution
        
        2012 India voted against Sri Lanka,under TN pressure
        
        2021 abstained from voting in the United Nation Human Rights Council on a resolution sought tofix responsibility for war crimes and human rights violations against Tamils by Sri Lankan authorities in the final days of the Eelam War
  - - - It was the direct outcome of the Accord of 1987, and its terms were as follows:-
      - Divide entire Sri Lanka into provinces.
      - Adoption of the Federal System and give more powers to states.
      - Remove Sinhalese Only Language Act and give equal status to the Tamil language.
      - Land and Police should be provincial subjects.
    - - These changes can strengthen Sinhalese nationalist sentiments and can further dilute the 13thAmendment.
  - - - The island was ceded to Sri Lanka in 1974.
      - agreement allows Indian fishermen access to Katchatheevu for rest, for drying of nests but it did not ensure the traditional fishing rights
        
        The United Nations Convention on the Law of Seas (UNCLOS) changed the situation under which all the rights of Indian fishermen were taken away. Since then, Indian fishermen have been facing issues with Lankan authorities.
        
        In 1991, Tamil Nadu Assembly passed a resolution demanding the retrieval of Katchatheevu Island from Sri Lanka and making the fishing grounds around the island accessible to the Tamil fisherman.
        
        In 2008, the AIDMK filed a petition in the Supreme Court (SC) asking that the SC declare the 1974 and 1976 agreements unconstitutional.
        
        In 2014, the Union Government informed the Madras High Court that Sri Lankan sovereignty over the Katchatheevu island is a settled matter, and Indian fisherman doesn’t enjoy any fishing rights in the Sri Lankan waters.
  - - - total debt is standing at $64bn and almost 95% of all government revenues go towards debt repayment
        
        The Sri Lankan government has confirmed that it has concluded a preliminary deal with China on the restructuring of its debts to Beijing, seen as a "big step" in the cash-strapped country's economic recovery.
        
        china holds about 52 per cent of Sri Lanka's USD 46 billion external credit.
      - Debt to GDP ratio of Sri Lanka is 80% of which China and ADB own 14%.
      - Chinese projects have been accused of issues like non transparency, poor environmental sustainability etc.
      - Sri Lanka had leased Hambantota port to China for 99 years. Similarly, the new Colombo port city is considered as Chinese colony in Sri Lanka
    - - A petroleum refinery project at geo-strategic and sensitive southern port city in the Rajapaksa family stronghold of Hambantota has gone to China
    - - A PLA warship, Hai Yang 24 Hao had docked at Colombo port on August 10 for a formal port call, again overlooking India’s protest.
      - Similarly, in 2022, Yuan Wang 5, ballistic missile and satellite tracking Chinese ship, had docked at Hambantota port, inviting strong reactions from Delhi.
    - - India is developing Trincomalee as Petroleum Hub and building infrastructure around it.
      - India is developing Kakesuthai and Trincomalee as a port.
      - India is developing the Eastern Terminal at Colombo port along with Japan (January 2021 update: Due to large scale demonstration by the trade unions against the privatization, the Sri Lankan government has cancelled this project).
      - India has decided to lease and manage the Mattala airport in Hambantota. (although, it is the emptiest airport in the world)
      - India has given a $300 million Line of Credit to upgrade Sri-Lankan Railways.
      - Indo – Sri Lanka Nuclear Cooperation Agreement has been signed (the first such deal signed by Sri Lanka with any country).
      - India has given aid of ₹ 5 billion in 2009 to reconstruct Tamil areas destroyed in the Civil War.
      - US is investing more than half a billion dollars in a port terminal in Sri Lanka’s capital being developed by Adani. The financing by the American government's International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is being seen as the US backing Indian interests in Sri Lanka to curtail China’s influence in South Asia. This is the biggest investment so far in Asia by the DFC.
      - In early 2022, Adani signed MoUs to build 500 megawatts of renewable energy projects in Pooneryn and Mannar,
      - In 2021, Adani sealed a deal with the state-owned Sri Lanka Ports Authority to develop and run the strategic Colombo Port's Western Container Terminal.
      - Adani's new port in Kerala at Vizhinjam too will help India compete with China in terms of both trade and manufacturing
    - - Economic Cooperation- The Sri Lankan president expressed his gratitude for India’s substantial financial assistance aimed stabilizing Sri Lanka’s economy following its severe financial crisis in 2022. The establishment of an electricity grid connection and a multi-product petroleum pipeline between India and Sri Lanka, was also discussed.
      - Defense and Security Commitments- Dissanayake in a joint statement assured Prime Minister Modi that Sri Lanka would not allow its territory to be used in any manner that could threaten India’s security. This commitment is particularly significant given the rising concerns over China’s influence in the region.
      - Development Projects- Several development initiatives were announced, such as the Indian Housing Project and renewable energy projects tailored for the Tamil community in Sri Lanka, and India’s assistance in training 1,500 Sri Lankan civil servants over five years.
      - Regional Stability- The discussions also reaffirmed mutual interests in fostering regional security through platforms like the Colombo Security Conclave.