The ideology of Sinhala Buddhist nationalism rebukes India as an imperial power attempting to colonize the island.
#Imperial guard hold the line full
While Sri Lanka gestures toward more cordial relations, the underlying impetus to reject Indian engagement remains unchallenged.Įnjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. India’s apparent success in blocking the naval exercise is fleeting. This week, despite protests from New Delhi and Washington, Sri Lanka welcomed what Indian officials suspect to be a Chinese “spy vessel” in the Chinese-owned harbor of Hambantota. Last week saw Colombo’s southern port welcome Pakistan’s Chinese-built frigate, PNS Taimur, to conduct naval exercises with Sri Lanka’s navy. Get briefed on the story of the week, and developing stories to watch across the Asia-Pacific. Despite repeated protests and counter-offers from Delhi, Sri Lanka’s military relationship with Pakistan continued to grow. India’s navy would guard the coast, its air force would support the counter-offensive, and Indian soldiers would guard the same airport used by Pakistan’s air force. Ironically, during this same period, Bandaranaike relied heavily on India to crush the Marxist insurgency of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP, also known as the People’s Liberation Front). Bandaranaike Airport became a safe haven for the Pakistan Air Force, which used it to refuel on transit to the theater of East Pakistan, now Bangladesh.
Throughout the Cold War, Colombo consistently welcomed rival powers, which included Pakistan, the United States (during the Cold War), and China, despite receiving support from India.ĭuring the early 1970s, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike broke from his stated policy of “non-alignment” to offer aid to Pakistan during its war with India. Despite Sri Lankan diplomats insisting that they “don’t want to be caught up in this power game” in the Asia-Pacific, a glance at the island’s history shows a calculated foreign policy that keeps India at arm’s length while simultaneously entertaining adversarial powers. Sri Lanka’s refusal to codify trade relations with India speaks to its consistent policy of strategic ambiguity. And yet, speaking at an economic forum, the president maintained his opposition to trade integration with India, asserting that “there is too much politics involved.” In his inaugural speech, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe showered the Indian government with praise, asserting that they had given Sri Lanka “the breath of life.” In addition to the glowing appraisal of Indian aid to the island, he slammed previous administrations for “baseless” decisions to cancel Indian investment projects on the island.
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