COLOMBO

Amid persisting questions from the political Opposition and media about Sri Lanka’s recent defence sector Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with India, the government has asked those seeking more information to use the country’s Right To Information (RTI) Act.

Addressing a media briefing earlier this week, Cabinet spokesperson Nalinda Jayatissa said some of the contents of the MoU cannot be released without India’s consent. The political Opposition, including the main Opposition bloc Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB or United People’s Power), has accused the Anura Kumara Dissanayake administration of “secrecy” and demanded that the MoUs signed with India be tabled in Parliament.

The MoU pertaining to the defence sector was one of seven signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka from April 4 to 6. Others spanned areas such as energy co-operation, digital initiatives, and health. During the visit, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told presspersons that the defence sector MoU is an “umbrella agreement” providing a framework to pursue ongoing defence sector cooperation in a more “structured” manner.

In his statement during the visit, PM Modi said he was “grateful to President Dissanayake for his sensitivity towards India’s interests.” “We believe that we have shared security interests. The security of both countries is interconnected and co-dependent,” he said.

Retired civil servant Austin Fernando, who has served as Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and as Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India, observed “Indian defence interests were exposed” in PM Modi’s remarks. “Do we share the much-critiqued Akhanda Bharat concept? Do we endorse Indian-Russian-American-Israeli security and defence interlinks as ours too? Do we connect with Sino-Indian clashes? We may have reservations,” he wrote in a recent newspaper column. Some other columnists argued that the MoU signalled a possible shift from the government’s “non-aligned” foreign policy.

The scrutiny of the MoU began in Sri Lanka even before Mr. Modi arrived in Colombo. Ahead of the state visit, Indian media reported that “a major defence pact” or “key defence deal” was to be signed with Sri Lanka, triggering scepticism among media commentators in Colombo.

The spotlight has only grown after the visit. Addressing a rally in the southern town of Galle days after Mr. Modi’s visit, President Dissanayake said the defence MoU signed with India “simply formalises ongoing joint operations and training sessions with India”. Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath clarified that it was a “non-binding MoU”, and not a “pact”.

An official source from Sri Lanka, familiar with the bilateral discussions on the MoU, told The Hindu: “Sri Lanka has nothing to worry about. As far as India is concerned, there has been a lot of baggage from its earlier interventions,” the source said, referring to the role of the Indian Peace Keeping Force and Operation Poomalai, carried out by the Indian Air Force to airdrop food in Jaffna, in the late 1980s. “Now it is time to move on, considering the strategic realities of today,” the source said, requesting anonymity citing the sensitivity of the issue.

In its editorial last weekend, the widely read Sunday Times noted that the MoUs pertaining to the ‘Energy Hub’ proposal in the strategically located eastern district of Trincomalee, and ‘defence cooperation’ “have raised uncomfortable questions” in Sri Lanka following Mr. Modi’s visit. “And what is most intriguing is why, when the Indian PM himself and commentators in Delhi are gaga over the MoUs, the Sri Lankan President and his government are maintaining a deafening silence — hiding them from the public?” the newspaper contended, urging the government to make the MoUs public.

Meanwhile, it is unclear if the MoU, pitched as a framework to formalise ongoing cooperation in personnel training and intelligence sharing, specifically addresses the area of permitting research vessels from China, an issue that has remained sensitive to Delhi.

Recently, some Indian media claimed that a proposed joint naval exercise of Pakistan and Sri Lanka was called off, after Colombo “refused” to entertain the request. The reports sought to link the “decision” to the recently signed MoU. However, the Sri Lankan side was quick to deny the reports.  Ministry of Defence spokesperson Colonel Nalin Herath told The Hindu: “There was no cancellation of such a joint exercise. We had a Pakistani Naval vessel call at a Colombo Port in March.” The official media release of the Sri Lankan Navy at the time said Pakistan Navy Ship (PNS) Aslat engaged in “a successful passage exercise” with its patrol vessel SLNS Samudura.