Sri Lanka, an island strategically located in the Indian Ocean, is giving a duplicitous perception that it is neutral between India and China. Needless to say, the above constitutes a threat not only to peace in the Indian Ocean, but also the national interests of India. As a result, democratic virtues in these countries are in great peril. China, which is determined to replace the current world order to one based on its own rules, is expanding its strategic influence in the littoral states of the Indian Ocean. Geostrategic, geopolitical, and geo-economic dynamics are dictating intra-regional relations in South Asia and have recently extended to the Indian Ocean. The geopolitical map of the Indian Ocean is being rapidly redrawn. What do you expect from a country like India in the struggle for Tamil Eelam?ДЄ. By taking up the struggle through non-violent and political means we have entered a new and even stronger phase of the freedom movement while building on the foundation of the past. Moreover, the second, third, and fourth generation of the Eelam Tamil diaspora, with their tech-savvy political activism, has sharpened the Eelam Tamil nationalist movement. In fact, following the 2009 Mullivaikkal genocide, the movement for an independent and sovereign state of Tamil Eelam, with the motto вЂњNever AgainвЂќ, has evolved further among Eelam Tamils and Tamils across the globe. Has the Tamil nationalist movement lost its steam after this incident?ДЄ. Velupillai Prabhakaran was killed on by the Sri Lankan armed forces. We are also concerned about the environmental impact of any Chinese investments. This is consistent with Tamil sovereignty and the Tamil right to self-determination. In this regard, we the Tamils have taken a position that any Chinese presence in the Tamil areas should only be done with the consent of the Tamils. China has also set its sights on the Tamil areas. In essence, southern Sri Lanka is rapidly becoming a Chinese colony. Also, China has established a strong presence through its financing of the вЂPort CityвЂ™ in the capital itself and has control over the Eastern Terminal of the Colombo Port.

There is a clause prohibiting Hambantota for military purposes, but in reality, if China decides to use it for military purposes, tiny Sri Lanka will not be able to resist. It is feared that China will use it for military purposes. Since the lease agreement is sealed, we do not know the contents of the agreement. China has the Hambantota Harbour on a 99-year lease. In fact, in 2019, former Vice President of the United States Mike Pence gave an important speech regarding ChinaвЂ™s debt trap, and he cited Sri Lanka as the case study. As you mentioned, Sri Lanka is under a major debt trap by China. The Chinese are having a major presence in Sri Lanka and it seems that the Sri Lankan government is under a debt trap by China. Tamil Eelam will become a reality in not too far future, said Rudrakumaran Visvanathan, the вЂPrime MinisterвЂ™ of the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) which aims to realise accountability of crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide committed by Sri Lanka against Tamil minority, in an exclusive interview with IANS.

Eelam war