Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

01 December  2019

CAUGHT BETWEEN INDIA AND CHINA

Through Magampura Mahinda Rajapaksa Port

A relative close to the Common Structure wanted to know about ‘reconciling’ between us and another section of our family. I said words to the effect:

‘Look at it this way. We have diverse structures at family level. Each family would interpret the religious and other cultural laws common to all  - in its own way and weave its own structures. To the extent the nucleus of that group is the truth – that local structure would keep going until it merges with the essence of the religious and cultural laws – as rivers flow towards and merge with the ocean. Those whose structure is close to that big structure – which often is without visible borders – would not have far to travel. We raised the family issue to Thesawalamai level and even though from time to time our pathway was ‘blocked’ we kept going as far as we could.  Now the other branch can either flow through us or go direct to the ocean of Thesawalamai whose horizons we cannot see’.

The Global  parallel of Thesawalamai is the UN which has no visible borders. Those who use the UN as a pool would not recognize it as the Ocean and v.v.. In his Sunday Observer article headed ‘A complete reset, and a belief that nothing is impossible’, Rajpal Abeynayake states as follows:

[not much cash was forthcoming from Western governments during the tenure of the Wickremesinghe administration, and Palitha Kohona, the former UN diplomat said pithily, ‘they expected these countries to come with bags of gold but no bags of gold materialised.’]

The Rajapaksa Government to which Dr Kohona was close, which did receive bags of gold, ended up dividing itself. Money without Common purpose, divides.  We raised the family issue to the level of Thesawalamai to confirm the community values that supported us to function as a family with the common purpose of merging with the Community. That way we became Community Relations. In the process  there were opportunities for others to learn from our own experiences and remove their own blocks – so they would reach the final destination of Community and then take that common value to become global.

The LTTE  also received money from Indian leader MG Ramachandran. Eventually, when Mr Rajiv Gandhi was killed in Tamil Nadu one needs to ask whether that money divided Indian Governance?

To the extent the Chinese money blinded the then Sri Lankan Government to its responsibility to its Sri Lankan relatives – i.e. – Tamils – that money was a dividing factor. To the extent Tamil insurgency was used towards getting money from others – all of the others – including China caused the disorderliness in the Government forces which resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths of civilians.

This was a severe blow to the Tamil psyche that took pride in self governance. But the moment we accepted money from Indians we had the responsibility to act as a regional group and not as a smaller separatist group. The LTTE felt that it was being used by Indians for their own purposes. Those who give handouts usually have this tendency. This led to the killing of former Inidan Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. That was how Buddhist clergy killed the then Prime Minister who gave them money.

As per News 1^st report dated 25 November 2019, headed ‘Hambantota port deal will be renegotiated – President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’ :

[Addressing the issue of China’s involvement in Sri Lanka, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa stated that the involvement which took place under the tenure of his brother, President Mahinda Rajapaksa, was purely “commercial.” He went onto state that even though China saw the Hambantota port as part of its “String of Pearls,” the then Government looked at it as a requirement. He also stated that Sri Lanka should have never given “control of the Port to China,” adding that it was a mistake.]

The New York Times reported on 25 June 2018 - about how Sri Lankans were fooled in this regard:

How China Got Sri Lanka to Cough Up a Port

[During the 2015 Sri Lankan elections, large payments from the Chinese port construction fund flowed directly to campaign aides and activities for Mr. Rajapaksa, who had agreed to Chinese terms at every turn and was seen as an important ally in China’s efforts to tilt influence away from India in South Asia. The payments were confirmed by documents and cash checks detailed in a government investigation seen by The New York Times.

• Though Chinese officials and analysts have insisted that China’s interest in the Hambantota port is purely commercial, Sri Lankan officials said that from the start, the intelligence and strategic possibilities of the port’s location were part of the negotiations.

• Initially moderate terms for lending on the port project became more onerous as Sri Lankan officials asked to renegotiate the timeline and add more financing. And as Sri Lankan officials became desperate to get the debt off their books in recent years, the Chinese demands centered on handing over equity in the port rather than allowing any easing of terms.]

On 01 July 2018, the Island reported about the above,  that Deputy Minister Ranjan Ramanayake that the reporter  had obtained information for her story from a B report given by the FCID. But there is no evidence that Mr Ramanayake Opposed the substance in that report.

If the deal was  purely ‘Commercial’ the Government of the day had the democratic responsibility to be Transparent about the terms of the ‘Commercial Agreement’.

But the land knew. The truth manifested as ‘Fire’ during the opening of Shangri-La Hambantota. The fire was traced to the ‘fire-crackers’ that the Chinese are well known for. The Colombo Gazette report on this included the following:

[There had been several breaches of security at functions attended by President Sirisena who came to power in January last year. He has dispensed with much of the tight security accorded to his predecessors.]

 If the then President had listened to the ‘local warning’ he would have prevented the 2019 Easter Bombing which included in its victim list -  Shangrila Colombo. One needs to have contributed to the Sovereignty of Sri Lanka to be able to ‘hear’ the voice of the Land. 

A year ago – the Thirdpole reported under the heading ‘Local fears grow over Chinese projects in Sri Lanka’ :

 

[For a decade Vimalabudhi had few problems with the Chinese funded projects that were coming up in Hambantota at break-neck speed. Then President Mahinda Rajapaksa launched a series of projects in his home constituency. The most visible Chinese backed projects were the new highways, cutting south through the western slopes of the island, two port projects and a new airport, among others.

It was in 2015, when Rajapaksa was defeated, that the monk from Beragama became really concerned. Burdened by heavy debt, the Sri Lankan government was looking for a release valve. The country owes at least one fifth of its over US$50 billion foreign debt to China. The situation was worsened by a stagnant economy and non-preforming projects like the Mattala International Airport, known as the world’s emptiest airport. The port has recorded negative growth…….

…The stretch of the highway linking the empty airport to the port cuts through key elephant corridors. It’s being built by China Communication Construction Company. Three quarters of the 489-hectare project runs through shrub jungle, according to an environmental assessment report obtained by the local rights body Center for Environmental Justice…….

“According to the records of the Department of Wildlife Conservation there are more than 400 elephants roaming in the Managed Elephant Range and those moving between the parks also use this area on a regular basis,” the report states adding that animals roam as much as 25 kilometres a day. Between 15-20% of the island’s elephant population could live in the project area, the department estimates.

The airport was also built on elephant habitat, and wildlife officials in Hambantota are frequently called up to chase the pachyderms off the runway.]

If the Government had listened to Hindu Sri Lankan – to whom the elephant is sacred – it would have prevented the Hambantota Port project.  But by separating Hindus – they lost that connection. Those who believe in Lord Kathirgama Murugan would be protected by the Elephant. But all these projects were to artificially boost the name of the Rajapaksas. One does not need any other proof than the above name boards to know the selfishness of the rulers was the root cause.  Magampura Mahinda Rajapaksa Port is the proof that the loans were taken due to desire to promote the dynasty that came to power through the democratic vote.

If it is true that it was ‘Purely Commercial’ then the first step ought to be to give it a Common Sri Lankan name – or the name of the Lord of that area – Kathirgamam. Even Lord Muruga had to resort to the blessings of His elder brother Ganesh who came in the form of elephant to push Valli into the arms of Murugan.  Name of Common Belief   would protect Sri Lanka from all war Lords – including Indians.