Nay Pyi Taw: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC summit in Myanmar on Tuesday. The meeting came amidst growing criticism from Tamil parties that the government is ignoring the plight of Sri Lankan Tamils.
The meeting also comes at a time when another vote is expected at the UN Human Rights Council this month in Geneva, censuring Sri Lanka and calling for an international probe against alleged war crimes. Sources say that India has told Sri Lanka that it is yet to take a detailed view on the draft UNHRC resolution. India also stressed on the need for early reconciliation between Tamils and Sinhalese.
India had voted against a similar US proposed anti-Sri Lanka resolutions in 2012 and 2013. For now, the government is employing a wait and watch strategy.
It is understood that last time around, the resolution against Sri Lanka had been watered down because of Indian pressure. However, New Delhi did vote against Colombo under pressure from the international community. For now official sources only say that India will pursue its own interests.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will also meet his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina. This will be the first meeting since Hasina rode back to power early this year in an election that the West alleged was a farce. The government is hopeful of holding fruitful dialogue on issues of counter terrorism, security and economic co-operation.
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