The attempt to hand over the Jaffna Islands to China is a part of the Sri Lankan genocidal tendency: Wigneswaran

Parliamentarian and former NPC Chief Minister Justice CV Wigneswaran said the attempt to hand over the Jaffna Islands to a Chinese company for renewable energy was part of a genocidal trend towards the Tamil people.

He said in response to a question that the sooner the international community talks about genocide, the sooner peace will be achieved in the region.

“Sooner they discuss the genocide that took place and is taking place in the Northern and Eastern Provinces the better for Peace in this region”. He said.

Question –Two recent developments seem to have affected India’s relationship with Sri Lanka.

-Sri Lanka recently pulled out of the East Container Terminal (ECT) deal with India and Japan at the Colombo port.

-On the same day, the  Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) returned US$400 million currency swap facility, which it availed in July 2020 to meet its emergency needs during the Covid19 induced lockdown. How do you view this?

Response – As I said a few days ago, this is a very serious matter. India has already protested in this regard. The Sunday Times quoted diplomatic sources as saying that India’s protest was on the grounds that such a move would raise security concerns for it. The islands concerned are the Delft Island, Analaitivu and Nainativu.

The Islands, separated by the Palk Strait from India, were in close proximity to India’s coast.
It was also reported that energy project’s local partner, the Ceylon Electricity Board, has finalized matters related to the project by identifying lands for the joint venture with Etechwin of China. The funds for the project are to come from the Asian Development Bank.

The USD 12 million projects have been awarded to MS/Sinosar-Etechwin Joint Venture in China based on the recommendation given by the Cabinet-Appointed Standing Committee on Procurement.

I see all this as a part of the Sri Lankan genocidal tendency towards the Tamils. Matters involved are

-Sri Lanka’s highhandedness. Whether Asian Development Bank is funding the project or not is not the question. Why this at this time when the Geneva matters are coming up against SL? What does SL expect from India in order to undermine the Tamil speaking people  of the North and East of Sri Lanka in return for calling off the project?

-Why has this been done almost simultaneously while SL pulled out of the East Container Terminal deal with India and Japan?

-How could the Government do this after failing to hold elections to the Northern Provincial Council?

Let me deal with the third item first.

The Thirteenth Amendment states as follows regarding alienation of land-

Alienation or disposition of the State land within a Province to any citizen or to any organisation shall be by the President, on the advice of the relevant Provincial Council, in accordance with the laws governing the matter.

There is no question of a Governor who is installed by the Central Government giving the consent, advise nor concurrence to such a matter affecting the security of the Tamils in their Province. It concerns the People of the Northern Province. Now India would realize the need to install a confederal constitution  in Sri Lanka. Its foreign policy towards Sri Lanka has positively failed.

Even though International contracts and business matters would be the area of the Central Government, the decision as to how the land in the respective Provinces should be utilized would come under the purview of the Provinces. They must be aware what the projects are and what awaits them because of the Projects. Hence until the Provincial Council Election to the Northern Province is held and People’s Representatives take over the Council and give their advise on this matter the Central Government has no legal nor moral right to endanger the People of the Northern Province.

To answer how this contract could endanger the People of the Northern Province we need to go into the other two matters mentioned by me above viz. Shree Lanka’s highhandedness in this deal and ECT deal.

Clearly this is being done to raise the concerns of India while basking under the shadow of the Chinese. It may be to clinch a benefit for Shree Lanka from India in Geneva.   May be to prevent India getting closer to the Tamils of the North and East through the Thirteenth Amendment brought out through the Indo Sri Lanka Accord of 1987. May be to give the Chinese a vantage point against India in return for Chinese munificence in return. May be it is President Rajapakse’s way of telling India to fly a kite. But whatever it may be President Rajapakse is playing with fire. But the sad thing is he is not playing at Medamullana but at  Analaitivu et al.

May be the Democratic Countries among the 47 Countries at the UNHRC must take this into account seriously  in deciding how Shree Lanka should be treated by the world body for its vindictive impulsiveness. I hope they realize from this act of the Central Government how the Shree Lankan Government and its Forces would have treated our people all these years. Sooner they discuss the genocide that took place and is taking place in the Northern and Eastern Provinces the better for Peace in this region. Let us not forget the former Defense Secretary in 2009 is now the President. He has two faces according to his own confession. Now Stephen Rapp says Gotabaya then confessed “I killed them, I killed them , I killed them “ not realizing wantonly killing surrendered prisoners is a heinous crime.