India appears to have adopted a “waiting game” approach to Sri Lanka, said the Hindustan Times in an editorial today, but warned “the wait for the crisis to play out to some sort of conclusion could be a long one”.
The paper stated the crisis in Colombo comes amid calls in Sri Lanka for an “inclusive system that takes care of the interests of all sections of society, including the minority Tamils, who have a considerable impact on domestic politics in Tamil Nadu”.
“India was among the issues that led to differences between Mr Sirisena and Mr Wickremesinghe, with the president reportedly opposing the former premier’s plans to award the eastern container terminal project at Colombo Port to New Delhi,” it continued.
“The rehabilitation of hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankan Tamils affected by the civil war also remains a priority for India. During the political crisis in the Maldives earlier this year, India learnt the value of the waiting game as opposed to any direct intervention, and it worked with other world powers to mount pressure on the authoritarian regime of former president Abdulla Yameen. It appears to have adopted a similar approach in the case of Sri Lanka, but the wait for the crisis to play out to some sort of conclusion could be a long one.”
See the full text of the editorial here.
