Amid the massive political turmoil in Sri Lanka, India has stepped up vigil on the maritime border with the island nation to prevent any possible influx of refugees or anti-India elements. The Indian Coast Guard has deployed its hovercraft, aircraft and patrol boats to enhance the surveillance, reported ANI.
The surveillance activities have been enhanced in the areas stretching from the Tamil Nadu coast to the parts of Kerala coast. Tamil Nadu police has also been put on high alert.
Since the protests and violence erupted in Sri Lanka, only a few cases of incidents where people tried to cross over to India were reported, officials said, adding that monsoon rains and rough sea would be acting as a deterrence.
Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs said that India was closely monitoring the developments in Sri Lanka. The ministry, however, maintained that India stands with the Sri Lankan people in their aspirations for prosperity and progress through democratic means, established institutions and constitutional framework.
“India is Sri Lanka’s closest neighbour and our two countries share deep civilizational bonds. We are aware of the many challenges that Sri Lanka and its people have been facing, and we have stood with the Sri Lankan people as they have tried to overcome this difficult period,” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.
India’s reaction came a day after thousands of angry protesters stormed embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s official residence and set Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s private house on fire, in the culmination of months of agitation over the ongoing economic crisis.
The island nation is reeling under severe shortages of food, fuel and medicines in the last few months as the economic crisis deteriorated.
As the economic crisis worsened, Sri Lanka witnessed massive street protests in the last months and the public anger led almost all the cabinet ministers to quit the government.
Even before the crisis in Sri Lanka took a turn for the worse over the weekend, New Delhi had put together a comprehensive plan to step up its assistance to Colombo, boost critical infrastructure and to use the opportunity to strengthen traditional bonds between the two neighbours.
The island nation was brought to a boil Saturday with angry protesters storming the plush Presidential Palace, forcing President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to reportedly flee the nation. They then torched Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s private residence in Colombo.
Wickremesinghe, who was sworn-in as prime minister in May this year following the exit of Mahinda Rajapaksa, said in a tweet Saturday that he had accepted the recommendation of party leaders to step down and make way for an all-party government. Hours later, the Speaker of Sri Lanka’s Parliament announced that Gotabaya, too, will resign on 13 June.
To ensure the continuation of the Government including the safety of all citizens I accept the best recommendation of the Party Leaders today, to make way for an All-Party Government.
To facilitate this I will resign as Prime Minister.
— Ranil Wickremesinghe (@RW_UNP) July 9, 2022
Responding to a question about the latest developments in Sri Lanka, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told reporters outside the Thiruvananthapuram airport Sunday that India has been “very supportive of Sri Lanka” and is “trying to help”.
The plan to look into “opportunities” to enhance India’s “economic linkages” with Colombo was discussed threadbare during an inter-ministerial meeting chaired by Deputy National Security Advisor (NSA) Vikram Misri on 1 July, top government officials familiar with it told ThePrint.
Besides a discussion on implementation of India’s priority projects, trade and connectivity in Sri Lanka, the need to fast-track a proposal to use the Indian rupee for transactions in Sri Lanka was also deliberated upon in the meeting, said officials.
One of the officials said that India is working on a multi-sectoral approach, which is “more long-term” and aimed at “deepening trade and investment linkages”.
This would involve development of the Trincomalee Port on Sri Lanka’s northeastern coast, power projects, increasing frequency of flights connecting India and Sri Lanka, development of a fisheries harbour and the resumption of ferry services, among others.
Sri Lanka is witnessing one of its worst economic crises, with the depletion of its foreign reserves having restricted the import of fuel and other essential commodities, triggering a massive shortage.
New Delhi has already extended a helping hand, committing over $3 billion in loans, credit lines and credit swaps since January this year. Besides, India has also delivered essential medical supplies, food items, food grains and petroleum products to the island nation in its time of crisis.
India’s eagerness to reassert its presence in Sri Lanka comes in the backdrop of China’s growing influence in the island nation. Beijing, which ranks third among Colombo’s creditors and accounts for a little over 10 per cent of its outstanding debt, has invested heavily in infrastructure, including the development of strategic ports, in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka has also borrowed massively from China to rev up its infrastructure under Beijing’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
This growing Chinese presence in the island nation has raised concerns among the Indian establishment.
