VisionIAS - Video Classroom Lecture

International Relations Class 02

A BRIEF REVIEW OF THE PREVIOUS CLASS (2:10 P.M.)

ILLEGAL MIGRATION FROM BANGLADESH (2:14 P.M.)

Push Factors:
Bangladesh is primarily an agrarian economy prone to agricultural distress such as floods, cyclones, droughts, etc.
lack of sufficient economic diversification
Instances of religious persecution.

Pull Factors:

India's economic development, and the prospect of better livelihood opportunities.
Cultural & linguistic affinities across borders.
Kinship relations across the border.

Effects of Illegal Migration

(a) Threat of inversion of migration.
(b) Put strain on the limited economic resources.
(c) A threat to law and order.

Steps taken by the government

(a) Legislations such as Illegal Migrants (Determination by the Tribunal) Act (IMDT Act),1983.
(b) In 2019, amendments to The Foreigners Act of 1946, were introduced which empowered the District Magistrates to establish tribunals & to decide whether a person is an illegal migrant.
(c) Live electric wiring of the fences.
(d) NRC exercise.

Way forward

(i) Check corruption in border management agencies.
(ii) Manning of the porous borders through intensive patrolling and the use of technological aid like drones, etc.
(iii) Aid development & economic diversification of Bangladesh to in fact weaken the Push factors. This would in the long term help in checking the illegal migration.
(iv) Issue work permits: Given the growth prospect of the Indian economy, it would continue to attract economic migrants.

INDIA-SRILANKA RELATIONS (2:28 P.M.)

Topics
(a) Importance of Sri Lanka
(b) India's Foreign Policy vis-a-vis Sri Lanka
(c) Bilateral Issues

IMPORTANCE OF SRI LANKA

Geostrategic Location
Sri Lanka is located in proximity to the Sea Lanes of Communication in the Indian Ocean region.
It is through these SLOCs that two-thirds of the global oil trade passes and about 50 percent of the global bulk trade passes.
It is also located in proximity to India.
It has been referred to as a permanent static aircraft carrier docked ten miles from the Indian Coast.

Historical and Cultural Significance

The two countries have a 'millennia-old friendship'.
They are also referred to as 'civilizational twins'.
Indian Prince Vijaya, exiled from his kingdom in Eastern India, is said to have founded the Sinhalese race.
The relations are traced to Buddhism which spread from India to Sri Lanka some 2000 years ago.
There exists a Tamil connection.
One of the earliest references to Sri Lanka is found in Ramayana (the mythological epic).

Economic Importance

India signed its first-ever Free Trade Agreement with Sri Lanka in 1998.
Since October 2023, the two countries have resumed negotiations on the ETCA (Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement).
It is a priority partner for India's Neighbourhood First Policy, the vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region), and for free and open Indo-Pacific.

INDIA'S SRI LANKA POLICY (2:49 P.M.)

The majority community is Sinhalese.
They constitute 75 percent of Sri Lanka's population.
Then, comes Tamils. There are two types of Tamils in Sri Lanka: Indian-origin Tamils (4 percent) and Sri Lankan Tamils (10-11 percent).
Christians and other minorities comprise 10 percent.
After independence, Sri Lanka adopted preferential policies for the Sinhalese.
India's Foreign policy with respect to Sri Lanka policy is governed by two aims of India which are not always in line with each other.
(a) Geostrategic concern of India
Given the geostrategic significance of the island nation, India seeks to keep it away from hostile influences.
For this, it is important for India to pursue close ties with the Sinhalese who hold power in Sri Lanka.
(b) Domestic concern
India wants to check the rise of Tamil extremism and Tamil Separatism in Sri Lanka.
This is because India fears that this may spill across the border into India.
For this, it is essential that Sri Lanka addresses the Tamil grievances domestically.
These two foreign policy goals are not always in line given the adversarial relations between the two communities, which complicates India-Sri Lanka relations.
India's foreign policy on Sri Lanka is akin to trying to ride on two different boats simultaneously.
Thus, India has failed to gain the trust of either of the two communities in Sri Lanka.
On the other hand, China's foreign policy is not complicated by any domestic concern.
It can single-mindedly pursue ties with Colombo based on its geostrategic significance.

BILATERAL ISSUES BETWEEN INDIA AND SRI LANKA (3:12 P.M.)

(a) Ethnic Crisis In Sri Lanka and the Role of India
The Sinhalese majority believes in the centralization of power and this has resulted in the marginalization of the Tamil minority.
It has enacted legislation such as the Citizenship Act of 1948 which resulted not only in disenfranchising the Tamils but also made them stateless. This resulted in a refugee crisis in India.
(*Refer to the uploaded handout for the Ethnic crisis of Sri Lanka.)
(b) Fisherman issue (4:02 P.M.)
It is mainly a humanitarian and livelihood issue.
There are three major issues: the issue of Katchatheevu Island, fishermen crossing over into each other's waters, and the issue of bottom trawlers by Indian fishermen.
Katchatheevu is a 285-acre uninhabited island present in Palk Strait.
The 1974 Maritime Agreement accepted this island as part of Sri Lanka, however, the rights of Indian fishermen to fish in and around this Island were preserved.
In 1976, even this right was surrendered.
Also, fishermen from both countries cross over into each other's waters in search of better catches.
The Sri Lankan navy shoots at the fishermen from the Indian side.
Indian fishermen use large mechanized boats known as bottom trawlers.
However, these bottom trawlers are banned by Sri Lanka.
(c) China in Sri Lanka (4:21 P.M.)
China is present in Sri Lanka because of Sri Lanka's geostrategic position and to counter India's influence in the island nation.
Sri Lanka is interested in China because of China's deep pockets (Mercantilist policy) and its permanent status in the United Nations Security Council.
Evidence of the presence of China in Sri Lanka: Hambantota Port, Colombo Port, Sri Lanka is the poster child of China's debt diplomacy, Chinese submarines stationed in Sri Lankan waters, etc.
Although Sri Lanka follows a neutral policy, when it comes to security concerns it follows the 'India First Policy'.
India is trying to increase its economic footprint in Sri Lanka.
India is also having joint military exercises with Sri Lanka.
Colombo Security Conclave was started in 2011 by India, Sri Lanka, and Maldives. Later it was joined by the other countries.
India uses its soft power to balance the hard power of China.

ENERGY LINKS (4:43 P.M.)

There are three India-backed projects in Sri Lanka.
There are three northern Islets where India is building Hybrid Energy Projects. We are building these projects through grants.
The Adani group is involved in the wind energy projects in Mannar and Pooneryn.
India is going to supply Liquified Natural Gas to Sri Lanka.
The energy grid connectivity is being envisaged by India.

CONNECTIVITY INITIATIVES BETWEEN INDIA AND SRI LANKA

The ferry services have been resumed between the two countries.
The possibility of overland connectivity between India and Sri Lanka is being looked into.
India and Sri Lanka have signed network to network agreement to launch UPI in Sri Lanka.
The Nagapattinam to Kankesanthurai ferry service.

SOVEREIGN DEBT CRISIS OF SRI LANKA AND RESPONSE OF INDIA (4:49 P.M.)

Sri Lanka had loan obligations of 51 billion dollars, whereas it just had 50 million dollars in reserves.
The reasons behind this crisis:
(a) Tax holidays for the corporates.
(b) Fuel, food, and fertilizer inflation (on account of the Russia-Ukraine war).
(c) Shift to organic farming without proper planning.
India emerged as the first responder to this crisis in Sri Lanka.
India requested the IMF to release the bail-out package for Sri Lanka.
We provided in total of 4 billion dollars of economic aid, whereas the IMF provided 2.9 billion dollars of economic aid.

THE TOPIC FOR THE NEXT CLASS: INDIA-MALDIVES AND INDIA-MYANMAR