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ShubhamTiwari9976
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Mr. Sirisena will need to repair the much-eroded confidence in Sri Lanka as
a country that respects the rule of law, independence of the judiciary and media
freedom. Most importantly, the new dispensation must waste no time in addressing
the Tamil demand for a just peace, because on this hinges the future of the country
itself. With his vast powers, Mr. Sirisena can immediately redress some long-
standing demands including returning to Tamils the land owned by them that the
Army took over in the 1990s and has stubbornly refused to vacate. Devolution of
powers to the Northern Province should also be high on his list of priorities, and if
a new Constitution is being planned with a Westminster-style government, just
power-sharing with the Tamil minority should find a place. The new dispensation
will also need to move speedily on addressing alleged war crimes, starting with
ascertaining how many Tamil civilians actually died in the last phases of the war.
But Tamil stridency on these demands will hinder rather than help matters. As the
main and most credible political representative of the Tamils, the Tamil National
Alliance must play a responsible role.
Tamil Nadu’s political parties must desist from fanning any extremist
demands, for which there is no place on either side of the Palk Strait. For New
Delhi, the change in Sri Lanka presents the opportunity to build a bilateral
relationship that is based on mutual trust and honesty rather than on mutual
suspicion. In recent months, the growing military relationship between Colombo
and Beijing was one of the big concerns in New Delhi. As a sovereign country, Sri
Lanka must be free to choose its friends and allies. But the least New Delhi can
expect is that its defence concerns will not be compromised by a friendly
neighbour. India’s relations with Sri Lanka are civilisational, not contractual, and
despite all the ups and downs, the ties between the people of both countries, based
on culture, religion and trade, have continued.2003