The outcome of the second meeting of the India-Maldives High-level Core Group held on February 2, 2024, was an indication that the two sides are yet to fully concur on the question of Indian troops in the Maldives, and their possible removal before the March 15-deadline given by President Mohamed Muizzu.
In any case, the messaging was different. The Maldivian Foreign Ministry statement said: “Both sides agreed that the Government of India will replace the military personnel in one of the three aviation platform by 10 March 2024, and will complete replacing military personnel in the other two platforms by 10 May 2024,” while the Indian side was silent on dates. “Both sides also agreed on a set of mutually workable solutions to enable continued operation of Indian aviation platforms that provide humanitarian and medvac services to the people of Maldives,” the External Affairs Ministry said in its statement. Kallol Bhattacherjee reported on the development.
Notably, Maldives has sought Sri Lanka’s assistance in medical evacuation services — mainly to transport patients to Colombo in air ambulances — amid this persisting strain with India.
Neighbourhood matters
Meanwhile, the Indian government has invited a delegation led by Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leader of Sri Lanka’s leftist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP or People’s Liberation Front), to New Delhi, in a significant outreach to the island nation’s most popular politician at the moment. Following Sri Lanka’s economic crisis, Mr. Dissanayake has emerged a top contender in national politics. Mr. Dissanayake’s visit and the meetings in New Delhi also signal the JVP’s willingness to put behind its anti-India past.
Also read our in-depth interview with the JVP leader in December 2023, in which he articulates the party’s current India position.
India has many interests in Sri Lanka and has maintained close ties with Colombo historically, regardless of which party is at the helm. However, the fisheries conflict in the Palk Bay remains a relentless bilateral problem. The Hindu editorial on the destructive fishing method of bottom trawling, and the arrests of Indian fishermen by Sri Lanka, argued that India must incentivise fishers to give up bottom trawling.
Flux and influx
With Myanmar in the grip of violence, its citizens have been fleeing to India and seeking shelter in Mizoram or Manipur. But they now face an uncertain future as the Indian government has decided to fence the 1,643 km-long India-Myanmar border and end the Free Movement Regime. Read our correspondent Rahul Karmakar’s deep dive into the lives of refugees, and their concerns over the civil war and India’s stand.
Another important development last week came from outside the neighbourhood. The U.S. Congress was on February 1 formally notified of the possible sale of 31 MQ-9B high altitude long endurance armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) to India estimated to cost $3.99 billion. The move followed reports of a hold over the deal by the U.S. Congress over the Pannun episode and concerns over India’s “high-level” enquiry into the incident. Dinakar Peri tracked the development.
Top 5 stories this week:
- Esmail Qaani | Commander of the ‘Axis’ – profile by Stanly Johny
- Holding Israel accountable, writes Prabhash Ranjan
- Pulling Sri Lanka out of the abyss, writes Ganeshan Wignaraja
- Finding light in Myanmar’s darkness, writes Rajiv Bhatia
- Exposing India’s financial markets to the vultures, write Yılmaz Akyüz and T. Sabri Öncü
