Abstract

India's Quagmire in Sri Lanka

Indo-Lankan Peace Accord was an attempt to resolve the longstanding conflict between the minority Tamils and the majority Singhalese Buddhists in Sri Lanka. Under its terms, India has given arms, training and sanctuary to Tamil separatists fighting the Sri Lankan military and pushing it in the state of civilian war de facto partition which have turned its involvement into a daily $3 million quagmire for Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. In direct violation of Geneva Accords, top Indian officers ordered the storming of the Jaffna Hospital, killing scores of doctors, nurses and patients. The Indians banned foreign journalists and the International Red Cross, making it difficult to verify or dismiss consistent reports of rape and other atrocities committed by Indian troops.