Indo-Sri Lanka Accord

The Indo-Sri Lanka Peace Accord was an accord signed in Colombo on July 29, 1987, between Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and President J.R. Jayewardene. The accord was expected to resolve the ongoing Sri Lankan civil war. Under the terms of the agreement, [http://iclq.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/37/3/551.pdf ETHNIC POLITICS AND CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM: THE INDO-SRI LANKAN ACCORD. Marasinghe M.L. Int Compa Law Q.Vol. 37. p551-587] ] [http://www.atimes.com/ind-pak/DD13Df02.html Sri Lanka: The Untold Story Chapter 35: Accord turns to discord] ]
Colombo agreed to a devolution of power to the provinces the Sri Lankan troops were withdraw to their barracks in the north, the Tamil rebels were to disarm. [http://www.tamilnation.org/intframe/india/88saty.htm New Delhi & the Tamil Struggle. The Indo Sri Lanka Agreement. Satyendra N. Tamil Nation] ] Text of the Peace accord. [http://www.tamilnation.org/conflictresolution/tamileelam/87peaceaccord.htm#a1 Tamil Nation] ]

Importantly however,the Tamil groups, notably the LTTE (which at the time was one of the strongest Tamil force) had not been made party to the talks and initially agreed to surrender their arms to the IPKF only reluctantly. Within a few months however, this flared into an active confrontation. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) declared their intent to continue the armed struggle for an independent Tamil Eelam and refused to disarm. The Indian Peace-Keeping Force found itself engaged in a bloody police action against the LTTE. Further complicating the return to peace was a burgeoning Sinhalese insurgency in the south.

ri Lankan Civil War

Sri Lanka, from the early part of the 1980s, was facing an increasingly violent ethnic strife. The origins of this conflict can be traced to the independence of the island from Britain in 1948 . At the time, a Sinhala majority government was instituted which passed legislation that were deemed discriminatory against the substantial Tamil minority population. In the 1970s, two major Tamil parties united to form the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) that started agitation for a separate state of Tamil Eelam within the system in a federal structure in the north and eastern Sri Lanka in August 1983 classified all separatist movements as unconstitutional,The Peace Accord and the Tamils in Sri Lanka.Hennayake S.K. Asian Survey, Vol. 29, No. 4. (Apr., 1989), pp. 401-415.] effectively rendering the TULF ineffective. Outside the TULF, however, factions advocating more radical and militant courses of action soon emerged, and the ethnic divisions started flaring into a violent civil war.

Indian Involvement

India had, initially under Indira GandhiIndia's search for power:Indira Gandhi's Foreign Policy.1966-1982. Mansingh S. New Delhi:Sage 1984. p282] [http://www.rediff.com/news/dec/01mitra.htm A commission, before it proceeded to draw up criminal proceedings against others, must recommend Indira Gandhi's posthumous prosecution Mitra A. Rediff on Net] ] and later under Rajiv Gandhi, provided support to Tamil interests from the very conception of the secessionist movement. This included providing sanctuary to the separatists, as well as support the operations training camps for Tamil guerrillas in Tamil NaduIndia's Regional Security Doctrine.Hagerty D.T. Asian Survey, Vol. 31, No. 4. (Apr., 1991), pp. 351-363] of which the LTTE emerged as the strongest force. This was both as a result of a large Tamil community in South India, as well as India's Regional security and interests which attempted to reduce the scope of foreign intervention, especially those linked to the United States, Pakistan, and China. To this end, the Indira Gandhi Government sought to make it clear to the Sri Lankan President, Jayewardene that armed intervention in support of the Tamil movement was an option India would consider if any diplomatic solutions should fail. Following the anti-Tamil riots, the Tamil rebel movement grew progressively strong and increasingly violent. However,after Indira Gandhi's assassination, the Indian support for the militant movement decreased. However, the succeeding Rajiv Gandhi government attempted to re-establish friendly relations with its neighbours. It still however maintained diplomatic efforts to find a solution to the conflict as well as maintaining covert aid to the Tamil rebels.India's Regional Security Doctrine. Hagerty D.T. Asian Survey, Vol. 31, No. 4. (Apr., 1991), pp. 351-363 [http://www.fas.org/irp/world/india/raw/ Research and Analysis Wing. Fas.org] ]

Operation Liberation

From 1985 however, the Sri-Lankan Government started rearming itself extensively for its anti-insurgent role with support from Pakistan,Israel,Singapore and South Africa.The Colombo Chill. Bobb D.India Today.March 31.1986. p95.] In 1986, the campaign against the insurgency was stepped up and in 1987, retaliating an increasingly bloody insurgent movement, Operation Liberation was launched against LTTE strongholds in Jaffna Peninsula, involving nearly four thousand troops, supported by helicopter gunships as well as Ground attack aircraft. In June 1987, the Sri Lankan Army laid siege on the town of Jaffna. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9B0DE0D8173FF936A35755C0A961948260&n=Top%2fNews%2fWorld%2fCountries%20and%20Territories%2fIndia India Airlifts Aid to Tamil Rebels"] , "The New York Times". 5 June 1987] As civilian casualties grewSri Lanka in 1987: Indian Intervention and Resurgence of the JVP.Pfaffenberger B. Asian Survey, Vol. 28, No. 2, A Survey of Asia in 1987: Part II. (Feb., 1988), pp. 139] [http://www.uthr.org/BP/volume1/Chapter8.htm India Enters; The Airdrop and the L.T.T.E.'s Dilemma.] ] , calls grew within India to intervene in what was increasingly seen in the Indian (and Tamil)Media as a developing humanitarian crisis, especially with reports use of aerial support against rebel positions in civilian areas [ [http://www.tamilnation.org/intframe/india/jaincommission/growth_of_tamil_militancy/ch1sec5.html Growth of Sri Lankan Tamil Militancy in Tamil Nadu.Chapter I - Phase II (1987–1988). Jain Commission Interim Report] ] . India, which had a substantial Tamil population in South India faced the prospect of a Tamil backlash at home, called on the Sri Lankan government to halt the offensive in an attempt to negotiate a political settlement.

Operation Poomalai

However, the Indian efforts were futile. Added to this, in the growing involvement of Pakistani and Israeli advisors, it was necessary for Indian interest to mount a show of force. Failing to negotiate an end to the crisis with Sri Lanka, India announced on 2 June 1987 that it would send a convoy of unarmed ships to northern Sri Lanka to provide humanitarian assistance"Indians To Send convoy to Sri Lanka", "The New York Times". 2 June 1987] but this was intercepted by the Sri Lankan Navy and turned back."Indian Flotilla is turned back by Sri Lankan Naval Vessels", "The New York Times". 4 June 1987]

Following the failure of the naval mission, the decision was made by the Indian government to mount an airdrop of relief supplies in support of rebel forces over the besieged city of Jaffna. On 4 June 1987, in a blatant show of force, the Indian Air Force mounted Operation Poomalai in broad daylight. Five An-32s under fighter cover flew over Jaffna to airdrop 25 tons of supplies, all the time keeping well within the range of Sri Lankan radar coverage. At the same time the Sri Lankan Ambassador to New Delhi was summoned to the Foreign Office to be informed by the Minister External Affairs, K. Natwar Singh, of the ongoing operation and also indicated that the operation was expected not to be hindered by the Sri Lankan Air Force. The ultimate aim of the operation was both to demonstrate the credibility of the Indian option of active intervention to the Sri Lankan Government, as a sympbolic act of support for the Tamil Rebels, as well to preserve Rajiv Gandhi's credibility. [http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/LAND-FORCES/Army/History/1987/Chapter02.html "Operation Poomalai - India Intervenes" Bharat-rakshak.com]

Faced with the possibility of an active Indian intervention and facing an increasingly war-wary population at homeSri Lanka's Ethnic Conflict: The Indo-Lanka Peace Accord Ralph R. Premdas; S. W. R. de A. Samarasinghe Asian Survey, Vol. 28, No. 6. (Jun., 1988), pp. 676-690.] , the Sri Lankan President, J. R. Jayewardene, offered to hold talks with the Rajiv Gandhi government on future moves. The siege of Jaffna was soon lifted, followed by a round of negotiations that led to the signing of the Indo-Sri-Lankan accord on July 29 1987 [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5249.htm "Background Note: Sri Lanka". U.S Dept. of State] ] that brought a temporary truce. The terms of the truce specified that the Sri Lankan troops withdraw from the north and the Tamil rebels disarm, [http://www.tamilnation.org/intframe/india/88saty.htm "New Delhi & the Tamil Struggle. The Indo Sri Lanka Agreement". Satyendra N. Tamil Nation] ] and saw the induction of the IPKF as a peace keeping force in Sri Lanka.

The Peace Accord

Among the salient points of the agreement, the Sri Lankan Government made a number of concessions to Tamil demands, which included [http://iclq.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/37/3/551.pdf ETHNIC POLITICS AND CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM: THE INDO-SRI LANKAN ACCORD. Marasinghe M.L. Int Compa Law Q.Vol. 37. p551-587] ] [http://www.atimes.com/ind-pak/DD13Df02.html Sri Lanka: The Untold Story Chapter 35: Accord turns to discord] ]
Colombo devolution of power to the provinces, merger (subject to later referendum) of the northern and eastern provinces, and official status for the Tamil language. More immediately, Operation Liberation — the successful, ongoing anti-insurgent operation by Sri Lankan forces in the Northern peninsula — was ended. Sri Lankan troops were to withdraw to their barracks in the north, the Tamil rebels were to disarm. [http://www.tamilnation.org/intframe/india/88saty.htm New Delhi & the Tamil Struggle. The Indo Sri Lanka Agreement. Satyendra N. Tamil Nation] ] India agreed to end support for the Tamil separatist movement and recognise the unity of Sri Lanka. The Indo-Sri Lanka Accord also underligned the commitment of Indian military assistance on which the Indian Peace Keeping Force came to be inducted into Sri Lanka.

In 1990, India withdrew the last of its forces from Sri Lanka, and fighting between the LTTE and the government resumed. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and government forces committed serious human rights violations against one another.

In January 1995, the Sri Lankan Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam agreed to a cease fire as a preliminary step in a government-initiated plan for peace negotiations. After 3 months, however, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam unilaterally resumed hostilities.

The government of Sri Lanka then adopted a policy of military engagement with the Tigers, with government forces liberating Jaffna from LTTE control by mid-1996 and moving against LTTE positions in the northern part of the country called the Vanni. An LTTE counteroffensive, begun in October 1999, reversed most government gains; and by May 2000, threatened government forces in Jaffna. Heavy fighting continued into 2001.

References

External links

* [http://www.indiaexpress.com/news/world/20031101-0.html Tigers go back to Indo-Lanka accord for federal state]
* [http://www.geocities.com/mforumsl/lw3.htm Muslims have a Case in Sri Lanka]
* [http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/FC12Df05.html Indo-Sri Lanka trade: Hype and reality]
* [http://www.atimes.com/ind-pak/DD13Df02.html SRI LANKA: THE UNTOLD STORY Chapter 35: Accord turns to discord]
* [http://www.irs.org.pk/Focus%202003.htm PEACE PROCESS IN SRI LANKA --- WITH AND WITHOUT MEDIATION]
* [http://www.american.edu/jrich/Richardson.peace.html ETHNIC PEACE ACCORDS AND ETHNIC CONFLICT RESOLUTION: A SURVEY]
* [http://www.asiantribune.com/show_news.php?id=11310 Dr. PC Alexander, former Principal Secretary of Rajiv Gandhi - bares it all on the Indo-Lanka Accord of 1987]
* [http://www.dailymirror.lk/2002/10/19/News/3.html "Peace for all with equal rights"Minister]
* [http://www.uthr.org/Book/Forward.htm Indo-Lanka Accord]
* [http://www.asiantribune.com/show_news.php?id=11650 Wickremesinghe Apprises I K Gujral of Stalled Peace Process in Sri Lanka]
* [http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items04/170204-1.html Tiger Rebels are either black or white but not both]
* [http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/12/02/stories/2002120203591200.htm SLFP to discuss peace process with Indian leaders]
* [http://www.asian-affairs.com/Sri-Lanka/sugeeswara.html PEACE PROCESS IN SRI-LANKA]
* [http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/sinhala/pandora.htm TIGERS, 'MODERATES' AND PANDORA'S PACKAGE]
* [http://www.flonnet.com/fl1909/19090120.htm The road ahead]
* [http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mag/2002/04/07/stories/2002040700140300.htm When guns cease to fire]
* [http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=25634 LTTE to take Indo-Lankan accord in peace bid]