From: rkrithiv@hopi.intel.com (Ramamurthy Krithivas)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.tamil
Subject: Cold War -> Tamizhs of SL/India/USSR
Date: 23 Nov 1992 19:36:15 GMT
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Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: pima.intel.com
Keywords: Just an Opinion. Flame as you please.

 This is an attempt to paint a clearer picture/opinion  of the SL 
 problem. Especially with Cold War/India as focus. 

 With due respect to  all those who were  killed/affected by this
 "yet another manifestation of cold war".

 Mr. M.P. Krishna Raj's article is used as a hook to get into the
 stream:

 Proceed if you wish so ..


=================================================================

Article: 581 of soc.culture.tamil
Newsgroups: soc.culture.tamil
From: raj@aelle.cs.odu.edu (M. P. Krishna Raj)


> India lost more than 2000 young men in this fiasco for nothing.


  Nehru happened to be in the USSR during the revolution, of 1917
  and  was extremely  carried away by the revolution. By 1947,the
  progress that USSR had made,convinced Nehru and the  architects
  of India that the model to be followed was that of USSR.

  The socialistic  society, all the five year plans: similarities
  that could be  noticed. But the biggest blunder that cost India
  was that this policy was extended to strategic alliance too.

  While the mask of  Non Alligned status did not help us much, it
  hurt us tremandously. India could not take its decisions to its
  will and wish, without  getting  the nod from  its Bear Brother.
  We became the laughing stock in the international arena.

  India was even informaly asked to slow down its reforms process
  Rajiv Gandhi initiated,because a selfsufficient India no longer
  needed USSR. And  every  bit of influence that India had to the
  west moved it closer  to the West.

Detour Begin
  Can we draw a parallel to us and to those who students who went
  to USSR for  higher  studies, with  heavy scholarships. In fact
  they  were  paid, as much as bank managers were.[A neighbour of
  mine was there  for  two years]. And  those  wonderful  Russian
  physics/maths  books that were available for dirt cheap prices.
  Every attempt was made to hook us closer to their orbit. Can we
  call this a "Bear Embrace" ?

  Indira Gandhi  has to appreciated here. In spite of the Russian
  embrace, she  some  how  managed to  keep India at a sufficient
  distance. India  slightly  opened  up, India looked for foreign
  suppliers for arms/oil etc etc. British fighter  planes, German
  submarines were  all  signs  that India was trying to avoid too
  much  dependence on the USSR. The thrust of "indigenisation" is
  the greatest gift that Nehru/IG and the architects of India gave
  us, that we are the 10th largest Industrialized nation on Earth.
Detour End

  India's closeness to USSR [Oil/Defence deals/10 year friendship
  treaty], convinced  the US that for all practical purpose India
  was an ALLY of the USSR.

  The next logical step it took was to get military bases  around
  India. For if  there were  a third world war, India was seen as
  a part of the communist block. So India had to be surrounded by
  its bases.

  US had a very strong hold in Pakistan, armed it to the hilt.Pak
  used its influence to whip up as much trouble in Kashmir/Punjab.
  [Not  to imply that  we did not have our share of blunder].

  Get the idea as to why Afganistan was run over by the USSR. And
  the talk of  US Rapid Deployment Force be stationed in Pakistan.
  Our relationship  with  Nepal was already sour, and US wouldn't
  have much  problem  to  get its hook there. With Bangladesh the
  same is the case.

  /*************************************************************/
  Sri Lanka was very important to the US.Trincomalee being one of
  the largest  natural harbour, and  the US  was keen to have its
  base there.

  A SIGN THAT USSR WAS RAPIDLY  LOOSING ITS INFLUENCE SO CLOSE TO
  HOME.
  /*************************************************************/


  And in order to stop US from getting its  base in the Sri Lanka,
  SL's attention  needed  to  be diverted. The  best HOOK was the
  existing dissent between the Tamizhs and the Sinhalese of SL.

  The bitterness needed  to be exacerbated, and  as much havoc be
  created. Until Sri Lanka finds it impossible to focus attention
  elsewhere ie.to let the US use Tirikonamalai.[biggest advantage
  was that Tirikonamalai was a Tamizh majority,a population which
  felt discriminated].

  Eelam was a good solution. Sri Lanka  not only  looses its power
  of administration over Trincomalee, in fact was now in the hands
  of the bear, through Tamizhs and through India.

  India had to arm the militants, it  had to train them, for much
  of  the oil  and arms came  from USSR. That's what we did. USSR
  did not give them freely, in terms that were a rip-off.

                1 Rouble == Rs. 22 before USSR collapsed[~~]
                Rs. 8    == 1 Rouble [approximately as of today]

  USSR gave us outdated and miserable technology: steel factories
  power  stations  Medical eqipments etc, and  its VETO in the UN.
  We were happy.

  India was "directed" to channel arms and finance, and assistance
  to the militants to whip up  trouble and havoc. To create a very
  very deep divide.

  SL had enough  head ache, that US lost interest in  Trincomalee.
  So  came a  day that USSR felt it could be done off with SL, it
  was around 1989-90, when USSR started to disintegrate.

  And India started to wash its hands off, the accord and IPKF was
  a part of this  transition  process. There were problems, so the
  freedom fighters were "transformed" to  terrorists.

  LTTE  used its influence in TN,to push drugs, gun running, money
  laundering etc.Some politicians have their drug peddling illicit
  liquor etc as side business. LTTE is no sacrosant to this, as it
  budged into the market hithero in the hands of a few "big-wigs".

  And so in the bigger picture, it is not a Dravidian Vs Aryan war
  nor a Tamizhan Vs Rest-Of-World nor a Ram Vs Ravanan war.

  Sri Lanka was  yet another place  where the cold war manifested.
  The 2000 IPKF/ LTTE cadres/ Tamizh civilians/Sri Lankan soldiers/
  Sri Lankan military big wigs/Rajiv Gandhi+12 others were all the
  pawns that fell in this struggle. 

  Our Political  systems made a dent here and there, in the course
  of the  events. A  rag here, and a  piece  there for sustainance.
  [== Veeramani decided to sail to Sri Lanka with a trisoolam to
       fight the "gruesome" Sri Lankan soldiers -), remember ????
   ==  MGR donating a house to Pirabakaran for his seal of approval
   ==  "Star Nite" to donate money to the "freedom fighters".
  ]

  India shall be looked suspiciously by all SriLankans.A beautiful
  country, with  a  good economy, has been pushed back in time. It
  would be wrong to blame India squarely for this.

  With Punjab  militancy ebbing, and Kashmir  militancy looks like
  ebbing is a sure sign that the tide has now changed in favour of
  India. Mostly  because  Pakistan  cannot  promote terrorism with
  such impunity as they had once. The cold war is getting defunct.

  The equation has changed much, Let us see if future holds better
  for all of us.


Krithi.

  Source : My father/Books/Articles/Conjecture etc etc.


Newsgroups: soc.culture.tamil,soc.culture.indian