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India’s Participation in SLAF Anniversary

Posted on March 9, 2021 by admin1  421

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Recently, India has participated in the three-day event in Colombo to mark the 70th anniversary of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF).

India’s Participation

  • A team of 4 Sarang Advanced Light Helicopters, Surya Kiran (Hawks), Tejas Fighter Aircraft, Tejas Trainer and the Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft from India took part.
  • India participated in a flypast and aerobatic display event with the SLAF, held by Colombo’s seafront.
  • The last time India took part in such an event was in 2001, on the occasion of the SLAF’s 50th anniversary.

Significance

  • India played a crucial political and military role during Sri Lanka’s civil war.
  • Sri Lankan leaders have acknowledged the presence of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) and ‘Operation Poomalai’ in 1987.
  • In Sri Lanka’s post-war era, the military partnership between both countries has focussed mostly on training and capacity building.
  • As many as 1,200 Sri Lankan military personnel are trained in India every year, which is about 50% of the total training India offers.
  • It shows the priority India accords to Sri Lanka as it has huge potential to contribute to regional security. Sri Lanka’s strategic location makes it a crucial partner for all countries in the region.
    • Domestically, its defence sector is accorded high priority by all governments.
  • Through participation in the event, India seeks to reaffirm its strong defence cooperation with Sri Lanka.

Civil War in Sri Lanka

  • After Sri Lanks’s (earlier known as Ceylon) independence from the British in 1948, the Sinhalese people, who were in majority, started passing discriminatory laws against Tamils there.
    • Tamils were taken to Sri Lanka to work in plantations by the British.
  • In 1972, the government, mainly dominated by Sinhalese, changed the country’s name from Ceylon to Sri Lanka and also made Buddhism the primary religion, making ways for ethnic tension.
  • In 1976, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was formed under the leadership of Velupillai Prabhakaran to represent the Tamils there.
    • It started campaigning for a Tamil homeland in northern and eastern Sri Lanka, where most of the Tamils reside.
  • In 2009, with the defeat of LTTE, its conflict with the Sri Lankan government finally ended after lasting for nearly three decades.
  • This civil war is one of the longest-running civil wars in Asia.

                                     (Image Courtesy: 4 News)

 

(Image Courtesy: World at War)

Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF)

  • In 1987, India and Sri Lanka signed an accord in order to end the Sri Lankan civil war.
  • Under it, India sent IPKF to Sri Lanka, which tried to solve the issue but ended up in a full-scale conflict with LTTE.
  • It had to be withdrawn in 1990.

Operation Poomalai

  • It was the codename assigned to a mission undertaken by the Indian Air Force (IAF) for airdropping supplies over the besieged town of Jaffna in June 1987 to support the Tamil Tigers.
  • It is also known as Eagle Mission 4.

Source: TH

 
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