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  • “We do not need to be told. We do not need to be taught”: Sri Lanka at the 22nd UNHRC, Geneva

    This year, India needs to be reminded that the situation in Sri Lanka has drastically deteriorated: the GoSL has weakened democracy, dismantled the judiciary and not followed through on any of the areas of reform that were called for last year.

    March 01, 2013

    Maitrayee Guha asked : Are there any stateless people in Sri Lanka now?

    Gulbin Sultana replies: No, there are no stateless people in Sri Lanka now. The Grant of Citizenship to Persons of Indian Origin Act No.35 of 2003 of Government of Sri Lanka has solved the problem of statelessness in Sri Lanka.

    After Sri Lanka became independent in 1948, the new parliament enacted the Citizenship Act of 1948 which gave birth to statelessness, particularly to the descendants of Indian Tamils living in the tea estate areas of the Central Province. Under a series of bilateral agreements between India and Sri Lanka in 1964 and 1974, Sri Lanka agreed to provide citizenship to a total of 375,000 Indian Tamils and India agreed to provide citizenship and repatriate 600,000 Indian Tamils. A total of 506,000 people applied for Indian citizenship and 470,000 applied for Sri Lankan citizenship under these agreements. The process of granting Indian citizenship was very slow and in 1982, about 86,000 applications for citizenship to the Indian High Commission were still pending. A further 90,000 people who had been issued with Indian passports, still remained in Sri Lanka.

    At this time, India advised Sri Lanka that it no longer considered the 1964 and 1974 agreements to be binding as the implementation period had expired. In 1984, repatriations to India ceased altogether with the suspension of the Talaimannar-Rameswaram ferry service following the inter-ethnic violence. In 1988, Sri Lanka passed the Grant of Citizenship to Stateless Persons Act. All stateless persons of Indian origin lawfully resident in Sri Lanka (who were not amongst the 506,000 who had applied for Indian citizenship) were entitled to Sri Lankan citizenship under this Act. However, in 2003, there were still an estimated 300,000 stateless persons of Indian origin living in Sri Lanka. On October 7, 2003, the Sri Lankan Parliament unanimously passed the Grant of Citizenship to Persons of Indian Origin Act No.35 of 2003 which granted Sri Lankan citizenship to all Indian Tamils who had been residing in Sri Lanka since October 1964 and their descendents. This amounted to 168,141 persons and included those who had been granted Indian citizenship under previous agreements but were still living in Sri Lanka, though they had to renounce their Indian citizenship. All Indian Tamils living in Sri Lanka had finally been granted Sri Lankan citizenship, 55 years after independence.

    Also, in 2009, the Sri Lankan Parliament amended the Grant of Citizenship to Stateless Persons (Special Provisions) Act, 1988 and granted citizenship to any person who was a permanent resident of Sri Lanka with Indian origin as on October 30, 1964, but was compelled to leave the island nation due to circumstances beyond the control of such person and later resided in India.

    The UN Internal Review Panel Report and Sri Lanka’s Urgent Need for Accountability

    With the release of the United Nations Internal Review Panel Report in November 2012, the deteriorating human rights situation in Sri Lanka has once again captured the attention of the world.

    January 09, 2013

    Net Security Provider: India’s Out-of-Area Contingency Operations

    Net Security Provider: India’s Out-of-Area Contingency Operations
    • Publisher: Magnum Books Pvt Ltd
      2013

    The report analyses previous deployments of the Indian military outside its borders, including in United Nations Peacekeeping Operations (UNPKO), evacuation of Indian citizens from conflict zones and in active operations like Sri Lanka from 1987–90 and the Maldives in 1988. It then examines the current capacity and trends for executing such operations. Finally, it makes recommendations not only for the Armed Forces but for other relevant agencies as well, such as the Ministries of Defence and External Affairs, the National Security Council and the Cabinet Secretariat.

    • ISBN 978-93-82512-00-4,
    • Price: ₹. 395/-
    • E-copy available
    2012

    Why is Tamil Nadu Against Sri Lanka?

    In particular, Tamil Nadu deems that the Government of Sri Lanka has failed to stand by its commitment to seek a political solution based on devolution of powers under the 13th Amendment of the Sri Lankan Constitution.

    October 01, 2012

    India’s Neighbourhood: Challenges in the Next Two Decades

    India’s Neighbourhood: Challenges in the Next Two Decades
    • Publisher: Pentagon Security International
      2012

    The chapters in the book take a prospective look at India's neighbourhood, as it may evolve by 2030. They underline the challenges that confront Indian policymakers, the opportunities that are likely to emerge, and the manner in which they should frame foreign and security policies for India, to maximise the gains and minimise the losses.

    • ISBN 978-81-8274-687-9,
    • Price: ₹. 995/-
    • E-copy available
    2012

    A Wake up Call for Sri Lanka at the UNHRC

    India’s vote at the UNHRC may is the first step to send a clear message to the Rajapakse government that it cannot continue to postpone a political resolution of the Tamil issue.

    April 09, 2012

    UNHRC Resolution on Sri Lanka: India’s Options

    India must use the opportunity to extract a commitment from Sri Lanka to initiate a serious process of dialogue aimed at evolving a political solution to the Tamil issue.

    March 19, 2012

    Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Committee Report: A Valuable Process than an End Product

    The value of Report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Committee lies more in the process it created and the multiple narratives it brought in from the periphery rather than as an end product in itself.

    February 01, 2012

    Islandic Hop Scotch in the Indian Ocean Region

    The island hopping game being played out is an indication of China’s strategy for gaining access to the IOR by developing the capabilities of “reach”, “presence” and “sustainability”.

    December 15, 2011

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