A host of factors have contributed to the current economic crisis in Sri Lanka, most of which have been discussed and analyzed in detail by several commentators. Although the current government is blamed for the crisis, especially the leadership of the Mahinda Rajapaksa clan, the crisis was created by unjust policies followed by previous governments in Lanka.
India’s Neighborhood First Policy has been operationalized and updated with an immediacy that has garnered praise from all quarters. By granting a line of credit for the purchase of basic supplies, the transport of fuel and the organization of a currency exchange, India has reinforced its role as a friendly and responsible neighbour. As a first responder, India’s actions are seen as contrasting with the almost cold and calculated way in which China has responded to the crisis.
To date, Sri Lanka’s request for a $2.6 billion loan has not received a very favorable response from Beijing. According to some, if a loan is extended, a significant portion will be used to service China’s earlier loans, ensuring that Colombo remains bound to circle China’s orbit for a long time. In this scenario, a Chennai-Colombo corridor – for closer people-to-people relations and to rejuvenate the free trade agreement between the two countries – can be seen as a means of creating inseparable ties between the two nations on a mutually beneficial basis. The details and rationale for this proposed corridor are set out in the following paragraphs.
India’s engagement with Sri Lanka
Although close cultural ties have existed between the two nations since time immemorial, the current connection needs a fresh look as the ties have been marred by an era of confusion and hot snap-cold snap relationship. The past three decades have been a roller coaster with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), fishermen and Tamils at the center of politics. For this reason, China has gained a foothold in the island nation with a debt trap used to lease the strategic port of Hambantota for 99 years and move uncomfortably closer to India’s core strategic interests.
The failure of the agreement between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE and the subsequent involvement of the Indian Peacekeeping Force (IPKF), which resulted in the deaths of several civilians and Indian soldiers killed and injured, created bad blood between the two countries. The IPKF suffered approximately 1,165 killed in action and over 3,000 wounded.
India’s concerns for the Tamil minority also suffered a major upheaval following the assassination of a former Indian prime minister. While India facilitated the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan constitution, giving more power to the Tamil people in the north and east, its pending implementation continued to widen the gap between the majority Sinhalese and the minority Tamil population.
India has also avoided any strategic involvement in Sri Lanka. In fact, with the exception of Indian Oil, there has been virtually no major investment from the Indian government directly, although private industry-led engagement has taken place. On the one hand, Sri Lanka tried to get the best of both worlds by pitting India against China. On the other hand, China was playing its own game by obtaining a 99-year lease on the Hambantota and Colombo Port City project.
India only recently decided to protest vigorously against potential Chinese projects on three islets in the northern part of Sri Lanka, which were later awarded to Indian companies. As Sri Lanka slides into an unprecedented crisis, a new level of relationship must be established between India and Sri Lanka. The establishment of a Chennai-Colombo corridor is one such mechanism.
A Chennai-Colombo Corridor
The proposed Chennai-Colombo Corridor is not tied to existing connectivity options but examines the dynamics of Indo-Sri Lankan relations to forge a new connection between the two countries.
Instead of a geographical entity, it is an idea whose time has come. A connection on similar lines existed between these cities when tickets purchased at either location were valid for the entire journey. The operationalization of this corridor will establish a link with the entire Sri Lankan population. While the distance between the borders is only 24 km between Dhanushkoti (India) and Thalaimannar (Sri Lanka), it is recommended to use it in addition to other means of communication available. Chennai-Colombo connectivity could herald a new means of mass surface communication besides air connectivity.
Surface communication can use a mix of rail, road, and sea communications to provide seamless communication between these two locations. And when traveling by bus, for example, the vehicle can be loaded onto ships and unloaded at the destination without passengers needing to disembark once. A similar pattern is followed on Mekong Ganga while traveling from Vietnam to Cambodia.
Although the stretches here are long, resources in the form of heavy voyage ships do exist. Tickets purchased in Colombo must be valid on all modes of transport to Chennai and vice versa. We already have visa-free travel between India and Nepal and a similar arrangement may exist for movement through the Chennai-Colombo corridor. Passports certified for work/travel should be sufficient to address some of our national concerns. Fears of demographic inversion and associated concerns need to be addressed by ensuring adequate checks and balances.
Sri Lankans traveling on this corridor may be encouraged to use the Indian rupee for their expenses in addition to adopting the mutual use of currencies in all expenses, whether personal or institutional. This corridor can allow free trade without any duty for products manufactured in the two countries with the special exclusion of third-party/country products. Basic facilities related to food, clothing, shelter and medicine can and should be extended to each other on favorable terms. Contract jobs in skill-deficit areas should be permitted.
The proposal can be refined after looking at the same in detail and studying the two nations from a population perspective. An exit strategy from Chinese involvement in the Hambantota and Colombo port city project should be operationalized and Indo-Sri Lanka ties should be taken to the next level.
Regardless of their conflict position during the world wars, most European countries have joined together in a Union for the greater good of their people. A similar model can be implemented in South Asia with India as a hub. The Sri Lankan crisis can serve as a catalyst to embark on this path in which the Chennai-Colombo corridor can be one of many options.
Major General Ashok Kumar, VSM (Retired) is a Kargil war veteran and defense analyst. He is a visiting scholar of CLAWS and specializes in neighboring countries with a particular focus on China
Opinions expressed are personal
Comments are closed.