TNA bluntly tells China to keep out of North and East

Chinese embassy delegation's recent visit to the North caused many concerns in various quarters, particularly in New Delhi. The Chinese made it clear they are interested in collaboration and infrastructure development in the Northern and Eastern provinces as a development partner along with India.

When asked what stand the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) was taking on the matter, the party spokesperson M. A. Sumanthiran put it bluntly: "We do not want any Chinese presence in both provinces."

According to the spokesperson, the TNA demands accountability and justice which are alien subjects to the Chinese one-party rule and of course India’s security concerns since it is a regional power, is also a matter to be taken into account.

“What we have to understand is that Sri Lanka is an island located in the Indian Ocean, not in the South China sea,” Mr Sumanthiran said, in a recent public meeting in Jaffna. He was referring to China’s aggressive behaviour of establishing its dominance over the disputed sea territories in that part of the world.

Meanwhile, the TNA informed New Delhi through its channels that China can be kept out of the two provinces only if India intervened or exerted pressure on the Government to ensure an adequate power- sharing mechanism in place with land and Police powers to both provinces in the future. Indeed, the country has become the playground for geopolitical games while ordinary citizens have little say or are mere spectators. The TNA is now using the Chinese visit to get India to get Sri Lanka to implement Constitutional Amendment 13 plus. What a merry-go-round.