A former Sri Lankan ambassador has renewed efforts to construct an India Studies Centre (ISC) in Colombo in order to “avoid any confrontation with the regional superpower,” reports The Hindu.
Former Ambassador Kalyananda Godage told The Hindu that “it’s now more than ever necessary to understand what India plans for South Asia as the world seems to be making space for India in the high tables of international diplomacy”.
“As India finds a new and more intense international role, smaller neighbours of India too will have to understand New Delhi’s behaviour in order to avoid any confrontation with the regional superpower as cooperation is in mutual interest,” he added.
Mr Godage was Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Malaysia, before he was recalled abruptly by Colombo after he was accused of sympathetic involvement with Tamil organisations in Malaysia.
His comments come amid increasing opposition to the signing of a trade deal with India from Sinhala political parties.
See our earlier posts:
Sri Lanka will 'become an Indian colony' warns opposition MP (18 Nov 2015)
Opposition to CEPA mounts (13 Sep 2015)
Also see our earlier feature: Sri Lanka’s Indophobia (07 Aug 2015)