1 BY : Lieutenant General M F AKBAR,ndc,psc Commandant, National Defence College, Bangladesh

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3  Sri Lanka’s location beside the sea lanes of the Indian Ocean make the island state strategically very important  Sea lanes constitute the trade artery of Asia that is vital to all the countries including China, Japan and India

4  US policy has been to ensure the freedom of navigation through the sea lanes  Half of container cargo and 80 percent of seaborne fuel is carried through here. It also contains 40 percent of the off shore fuel output.

5  “More than half the world’s armed conflicts are presently located in the Indian Ocean region ………………....potential nuclear confrontation between India and Pakistan, US interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan, Islamist terrorism, growing incidence of piracy in and around the Horn of Africa, and management of diminishing fishery resources.”

6  “In the long-term the Indian Ocean is going to be massively more significant in global politics than it has ever been before……………that is the function largely of the fact that the Asia- Pacific region is massively more significant.”

7  The importance of Indian Ocean confers strategic significance to Sri Lanka  The island was always considered vital to control the gateway to India and all east-west lanes that connect South East Asia to the West

8  India appended to the India-Sri Lanka accord of July 1987  Trincomalee or any other port of Sri Lanka will not be made available for military use by any country

9  Trincomalee oil tank farm will be undertaken as a joint venture between India and Sri Lanka  Sri Lanka's agreement with foreign broadcasting organisations will be reviewed

10  Demographics, geography, history and politics converged in rise of nationalism and then intolerance and chauvinism that brought a long insurgency home to Sri Lanka

11  Each ethnic group today has a distinct identity with strongly held myths of origin  Sinhala believe that they are Aryans from Bengal, the Tamils claim pure Dravidian origin, and the Muslims aspire to decent from Arabs

12  Medieval Sri Lanka’s major accomplishment is the establishment of the Sinhala kingdom  The development of Sinhala nation as the last defenders of Buddhism in India was a very powerful element in their nation building

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14  Terrorism is a noxious conflict and its economic costs are enormous  South Asia has a violent history of terrorist incidents and here political and security discourse takes precedence over development  Global terrorism center of gravity had shifted to South Asia making it a region of concern

15  Sri Lanka under President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s leadership and with valiant efforts of the Sri Lankan armed forces defeated the LTTE  All in region and beyond are grateful for the removal of such a despicable foe of humanity and are more secure because of this outcome

16  The continuation of conflict could cause disruptions in shipping with wider ramifications for trade in this region  Remained a threat to economic security of the region  India’s pursuit of Chinese policy of maintaining regional peace would have been jeopardized

17  The Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government supported Sri Lankan cause on two counts  Bangladesh has always supported Sri Lanka’s war against terrorism and also has pragmatic understanding of the fallout from post conflict transition  Region has more stability by mitigating regional threats to security like arms’ trafficking, smuggling and various forms of human rights violations

18  Sri Lanka's first king, mentioned in the ancient Pali chronicles, was known to have ancestors from the Vanga Kingdom located in modern Bangladesh  In Sri Lanka, several strands of Buddha’s hair gifted by the Buddhists of Bangladesh,are venerated on Poya Day, a Buddhist public holiday in Sri Lanka

19  Diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were formally established in 1972  Sri Lanka Heads of States and Governments since 1979 have made official visits to Bangladesh and they have been reciprocated  Close political relationship is demonstrated by BD support to Srilanka at International Forum

20  About 15,000 Srilankans are currently employed in Bangladesh  Growing technical co- operation in the production of garments between the two countries

21  Bangladesh and Sri Lanka participate in the joint peace keeping exercises under the UN department of peacekeeping operations  There are goodwill visits at the level of chiefs of armed forces between the two countries

22  Bangladesh has greatly benefited from the elimination of LTTE and end of ethnic conflict  Bangladesh army, in the initial stages of the insurgency in Chittagong Hill Tracts, decided not to use heavy guns

23  The rapprochement between the two communities will take lot of work and time which is more of an intellectual and transformative political process  Every country have respective historical, cultural and political evolution creates conditions that do not allow uniform responses to identical problem

24  No substantive allegation has been raised against the government of Sri Lanka concerning reconstruction and economic rejuvenation of the region  If the economic growth can be maintained in the region then major reservations concerning reconciliation will disappear within a short time

25  The ethnic war has ended; the conflict has been submerged. However its currency needs to be neutralized  Avenues and opportunities have to be created to allow the communities to live as neighbors, friends and colleagues

26  Developing a common national identity among a heterogeneous population is a very difficult and challenging task and no nation can claim perfection  Difficulties may not deter the perennial quest of nation building

27  There has to be total renunciation of violence excluding the exercise of legitimate coercive authority of the state  The precise shape and nature of these elements may vary from country to country because of differences among communities regarding their location, histories, cultures, regional trends, political relationships and other relevant factors

28  Sri Lanka has worked with great commitment to carry out reconstruction. There is a genuine national will to revive the affected economies. The trauma of long term conflict can only be effectively managed…..  Sri Lanka is on the right path and we, in Bangladesh, hope for and support successful resolution of this problem

29 I Wish The People, Government And The Armed Forces Of Sri Lanka A Peaceful, Prosperous And Happy Future

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