BUCKLING UNDER MANY PROTESTS IN TAMIL NADU 27 SL AIRFORCE TRAINEES SENT TO KARNATAKA
Onlanka News – by Walter Jayawardhana
Buckling under the many protests from Tamil Nadu the New Delhi government transferred 27 Sri Lankan Air Force personnel who were undergoing their training at Thambaram station near Chennai in Tamil Namil Nadu to the nearby state called Karnataka.
The Times of India said, “All Sri Lankan trainees are being sent off today from this station (Tambaram) as per instructions of the defence ministry,” quoting “ a terse statement issued by military authorities in Chennai while noting “ A red-faced MoD in New Delhi, in turn, ducked for cover and refused to say anything on the matter.”
The newspaper further said quoting unknown sources that the decision to “abruptly shift” the 27 Sri Lankan technical stream airmen to Bangalore’s Yelahanka airbase was taken “at the highest level” in the Centre following mounting protests from political parties in Tamil Nadu.
“The decision came after TN chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Thursday held the training of Sri Lankan military personnel in the state was “an insult to Tamil people” and others like her bitter rival DMK, a part of the UPA government at the Centre, too joined in the anti-Sri Lanka chorus.
“Later in the day, government sources were at pains to suggest the 27 Sri Lankan personnel had “completed” their “training phase” at Tambaram and would further continue their nine-month course on ground handling of transport aircraft at Yelahanka.
“With the discrimination against Sri Lankan Tamils by the majority Sinhalese in the island nation being a hugely emotive issue in Tamil Nadu, the Centre has always had to strike a fine balance between domestic political sensitivities and larger strategic considerations.
“Even when the Sri Lankan forces were earlier battling the LTTE, India’s strategy to provide non-lethal arms and military training to Colombo, coupled with intelligence sharing and `coordinated’ naval patrolling, was primarily aimed to counter ever-growing strategic inroads into the island nation by both China and Pakistan.
“Though India trains soldiers from several countries — ranging from the Maldives, Mauritius and Mongolia to Botswana, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan — the facilities extended to Sri Lanka are much more. The premier Indian Military Academy at Dehradun, for instance, has even run ‘special courses’ to train hundreds of “gentlemen cadets” from Sri Lanka.
“Over the last several years, India has also trained thousands of Sri Lankan personnel at its military institutions ranging from Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School at Vairengte in Mizoram to School of Artillery at Devlali in Maharashtra, apart from providing specialised naval courses in gunnery, navigation, communication and anti-submarine warfare.
“Continuing with this diplomatic and military engagement, India and Sri Lanka last September-November had also held their first major naval combat exercise “SLINEX-11” in six years, with a total of 16 warships off Trincomalee. The Indian Navy, in recent times, has also done hydro-graphic surveys and salvage operations for Sri Lanka. “
Meanwhile suburban train services around Chennai were affected for nearly an hour after noon on Friday as nearly 50 members of the Naam Tamilar Katchi led by the founder of the party, Seeman, a film actor and director, sat on the tracks in Tambaram, protesting against the training to Sri Lankan Air Force personnel at the Air Force base, Tambaram.
A suburban train between Chennai Beach and Tirumalpur (Kancheepuram) was delayed more than half an hour, while other suburban trains delayed by 10 to 15 minutes. Everyday, more than 285 suburban sevices are operated between Chennai Beach and Tambaram, 16 services between Chennai Beach and Tirumalpur and four trips between Tambaram and Chengelpet. “RPF personnel came to the spot and took away the protestors around 1.30pm. Now, the situation has returned normal,” said a railway official.
Earlier in the day, supporters of the Naam Tamilar Katchi held a demostration in front of the IAF’s station in Tambaram and raised slogans against Sri Lanka for nearly an hour and then came to the railway station to block the track. On Thursday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa demanded the Union government to scrap the training programme for the Sri Lankan air force personnel at the Air Force base, Tambaram. Other political parties joined her in condemning the Centre for allowing training of Sri Lankan military personnel in the state when Sri Lankan Tamils were suffering.
The Times of India said, “All Sri Lankan trainees are being sent off today from this station (Tambaram) as per instructions of the defence ministry,” quoting “ a terse statement issued by military authorities in Chennai while noting “ A red-faced MoD in New Delhi, in turn, ducked for cover and refused to say anything on the matter.”
The newspaper further said quoting unknown sources that the decision to “abruptly shift” the 27 Sri Lankan technical stream airmen to Bangalore’s Yelahanka airbase was taken “at the highest level” in the Centre following mounting protests from political parties in Tamil Nadu.
“The decision came after TN chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Thursday held the training of Sri Lankan military personnel in the state was “an insult to Tamil people” and others like her bitter rival DMK, a part of the UPA government at the Centre, too joined in the anti-Sri Lanka chorus.
“Later in the day, government sources were at pains to suggest the 27 Sri Lankan personnel had “completed” their “training phase” at Tambaram and would further continue their nine-month course on ground handling of transport aircraft at Yelahanka.
“With the discrimination against Sri Lankan Tamils by the majority Sinhalese in the island nation being a hugely emotive issue in Tamil Nadu, the Centre has always had to strike a fine balance between domestic political sensitivities and larger strategic considerations.
“Even when the Sri Lankan forces were earlier battling the LTTE, India’s strategy to provide non-lethal arms and military training to Colombo, coupled with intelligence sharing and `coordinated’ naval patrolling, was primarily aimed to counter ever-growing strategic inroads into the island nation by both China and Pakistan.
“Though India trains soldiers from several countries — ranging from the Maldives, Mauritius and Mongolia to Botswana, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan — the facilities extended to Sri Lanka are much more. The premier Indian Military Academy at Dehradun, for instance, has even run ‘special courses’ to train hundreds of “gentlemen cadets” from Sri Lanka.
“Over the last several years, India has also trained thousands of Sri Lankan personnel at its military institutions ranging from Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School at Vairengte in Mizoram to School of Artillery at Devlali in Maharashtra, apart from providing specialised naval courses in gunnery, navigation, communication and anti-submarine warfare.
“Continuing with this diplomatic and military engagement, India and Sri Lanka last September-November had also held their first major naval combat exercise “SLINEX-11” in six years, with a total of 16 warships off Trincomalee. The Indian Navy, in recent times, has also done hydro-graphic surveys and salvage operations for Sri Lanka. “
Meanwhile suburban train services around Chennai were affected for nearly an hour after noon on Friday as nearly 50 members of the Naam Tamilar Katchi led by the founder of the party, Seeman, a film actor and director, sat on the tracks in Tambaram, protesting against the training to Sri Lankan Air Force personnel at the Air Force base, Tambaram.
A suburban train between Chennai Beach and Tirumalpur (Kancheepuram) was delayed more than half an hour, while other suburban trains delayed by 10 to 15 minutes. Everyday, more than 285 suburban sevices are operated between Chennai Beach and Tambaram, 16 services between Chennai Beach and Tirumalpur and four trips between Tambaram and Chengelpet. “RPF personnel came to the spot and took away the protestors around 1.30pm. Now, the situation has returned normal,” said a railway official.
Earlier in the day, supporters of the Naam Tamilar Katchi held a demostration in front of the IAF’s station in Tambaram and raised slogans against Sri Lanka for nearly an hour and then came to the railway station to block the track. On Thursday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa demanded the Union government to scrap the training programme for the Sri Lankan air force personnel at the Air Force base, Tambaram. Other political parties joined her in condemning the Centre for allowing training of Sri Lankan military personnel in the state when Sri Lankan Tamils were suffering.
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Why do Sri Lankan government still accept these venues in the first place? There are other countries and places int the world (and within India) capable of providing the training necessary without having to go to this xxxxhole.
Tamil Nadu is increasingly becoming a pest and a cancer for India. They are breeding like rats and therefore increasing their “say” at a rapid rate.
Before long, India will have to bow down at the Tamil Nadu jokers and let them split from India. There will be no choice left for India. The time will come and the signs are already on display. That is the obvious consequence of having a federal system running on the basis of race, rather than on geographical and administrative divisions like in other developed countries.
In other countries where a Federal system is running well have no states divided based on race. In the contrary, Indian states, specially Tamil Nadu is a state based on Tamil-only race and here we see the consequence of letting only rats to get together in one area.
I agree with you Manjula. Well said!
TN is the tail wagging the Central Govt dog.
If the day dawns when TN declares autonomy it is bound to declare war on SL and try to annex SL as its colony. We should be well prepared for it now. I hope SL enhances its Defence links with China and Russia, to take on all-comers.
Fantastic day dreaming in Blogs 2 & 3. The Indian State is founded on principles of equality. Hence cannot foresee a division. It is the short-sightedness of leaders in Sri Lanka that has led to the continuing call for separation. If there was more nationalism and patriotism in the State, the call for separation will dissipate.
Fantastic display of lack of knowledge in blog 4 above. India already split into Pakisthan and Bangladesh from the 2 sides while this a “prana” was fast asleep. What is left is to split at the bottom end, which is not far away.
Nepal also was part of ancient India (563–483 BCE) and currently the Kashmere is also semi-split (Believe or not, Lord Buddha over 3000 years ago has foreseen that India will be broken into many pieces in the future ! – How ironic!)
Both India and Sri Lanka got freedom from so called western human rights champions aka invaders in 1946-48. But since then, India already got split into 3 pieces with their so called “principles of equality” (where Hindi is the “ONLY” official language – LOL)while Sri lanka is still in one piece! What a surprise!
Bull shit equality of India….! Where the hell hole this prana bd live.?
India has the most worst quality & caste differences among it’s people…! It hasn’t happened only now & that’s so from prior to the Buddha’s time.
Btw, Manju…
From where did you read like that prediction of the Buddha..?
I guess that you may have mistaken the Buddha’s prediction of a separate country called Vajji rajya of Lichchavi’s, which the Buddha said it might be destroyed later by king Ajatasatta of Magadha rajya. Both of those countries included today in India.
Actually India wasn’t been this much large one country in the Buddha’s time or ever mentioned time in Buddhism. Every time along the history, India has been separated into many countries as mentioned is Buddhism. Today is the biggest existance of India, so it’s not a wonder that India breaking into many countries.
Amden,
I cannot remember exactly where I read it, but it was told to someone (like Ananda thero) that Buddhism will disappear in India and it will survive for about 5000 years only in Sri lanka. That was told as an answer to a question about the future of buddhism. In that conversation when asked why not in India he has said that the India will splitt into many pieces in the future due to many internal conflicts.
During Buddha’s time India was called Jambu Deepa (or Damba Diva) due to it’s “Jambu shape”. Jambu Deepa was a combination of many “states” or Kingdoms like Maghada Desha, Kosala desha, etc etc seperately controlled by seperate kings of many clans.
(According to Wikipedia, …”All these kingdoms are located in the Indian Sub-Continent, comprising the modern-day countries India, Pakistan, Afganistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Srilanka. Some of the kingdoms are also partly in neighbouring countries China, Iran, and the central Asian republics Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan”…).
Wow ! that definitely gives a “Jambu shape”.
However, if you take any one of those “states” or kingdoms, they will not form a shape of “Jambu” and therefore ancient “Jambu Deepa” was probably the collection of all those states regardless of who controlled them. As an example, the state where prince Siddartha was born was Kapilawasthu and it is in Nepal today. However during Buddha’s time (and before) it was part of Jambu Deepa.
There was no mention of the name “India” at that time and my guess is that at least a vast majority of that “Jambu Deepa” became “Maha Bhratha” after sheding Sri lanka, Afganisthan etc and then became “initial India” before Pakisthan and Bangla Desh were split. So if you look from the time of “Initial India” as known to the modern history before human rights champions aka western invaders vomited on it, it certainly has gone smaller after the Indu-Pakisthan war.
Probably Buddha said “Jambu Deepa” will be split and not “India” (because there was no India at the time). My appologies. But I think in the context of what Buddha has said, it appears to be happening in that region. Buddhism has already disappeared from India and the splitting has happened while more new cracks are appearing.
contains original teachings of Buddha as it has said by him directly in thripitaka. And there’re some other writings also as Atta katha/tika.. etc (commentaries) which’re not all direct sayings of buddha, though some of them should be so but may not in same words.
Breaking of india, buddhism of srilanka or 5000yrs of buddhism, are not in above original teachings as i know.
5000yrs story is not a saying of Buddha & it has calculated so by commentary writers without reasoning or considering original teachings of Buddha. In original teachings the Buddha has said that, the real Dhamma will exist only 500yrs & it could be 1000yrs if the females are not ordained in buddhism. You’ll find as it said by the Buddha, as follows;
tipitaka.org-> other scripts-> sinhala(web)-> තිපිටකමූල-> අංගුත්තරනිකාය-> අට්ඨකනිපාතො-> ගෝතමීවග්ගො-> 1 ගොතමීසුත්තං->25th para—>
…පඤ්චෙවදානි ආනන්ද වස්සසතානි සද්ධම්මො ඨස්සති… means; 500only Ananda now saddhamma will be exist… (පඤ්චෙව=5, වස්සසතානි=100yrs, means five hundred & not five thousand/ thousand=සහස්ස, as it is mentioned about 1000yrs in privious sentence of same para)
Then the jambudeepa doesn’t mean a one country. Because jambudeepa is a 1 of 4 parts of whole world. So, india has not been a this much big one country in most of the history, despite the name & much possible to be divide at any time.
Today the buddhism contains….
Is missing in above comment.