Tigers gone, India, Lanka on new page

With the war against the dreaded LTTE over and the Tamil Tigers gone, Indians and Sri Lankans are on a new page to improve quality of life.

With the war against the dreaded LTTE over and the Tamil Tigers gone, Indians and Sri Lankans are on a new page to improve quality of life.

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Indians will soon be teaching English and Information Technology on a wide scale under Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s new initiative to empower the island’s youth. Colombo University will set up a centre for Indian studies. Other universities in the two countries will launch outreach programmes.

Called “India-Sri Lanka Knowledge Initiative”, the programme will see Sri Lankans get scholarships to study in India, while Indians move to the island nation to help its educational bodies.

That’s not all.

As the issue of re-sending Tamils displaced by the war back to their homes takes priority, these proposals are part of the India-Sri Lanka Joint Declaration, which was released on Wednesday following the talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Rajapaksa.

Ferry services will carry tourists and others between Colombo and Tuticorin, and Thalaimannar and Rameswaram. Trains may chug along — not in too distant future — between Thalaimannar and rest of Sri Lanka with rail network repaired by India’s IRCON. India will also export locomotives and coaches for this purpose.

In fact, seven pacts inked by the two sides also talk of restoring Palaly airbase (near Jaffna), which served as Indian Peace Keeping Force’s operational base 23 years ago to tame the Tamil Tigers, and Sri Lankan Navy’s lifeline, Kankesanthurai harbour. Indian satellites will come to the aid of Sri Lanka to promote space technology as terminals come along the island’s coasts.