Minorities including Muslims and Christians began to appreciate the Sinhalese government. The young and democratic Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi, had to lose his life because of Tamil.
After the return of Indian peacekeeping forces from Sri Lanka, China and Pakistan also started increasing their activities in Sri Lanka.
The flow of diplomats and intellectuals from China and Pakistan intensified. They busied themselves in defining Sri Lankan nationalism as synonymous with opposing India and the Tamil movement.
The Sri Lankan people were also intoxicated by this nationalism, but the Tamil movement had also gained global attention at that time.
This issue started to be discussed in the General Assembly of the United Nations. The international community began to see the Tamil rebellion as a matter of quest for democracy, federalism, and fundamental rights.
Norway was also mediating to solve this problem, but the then President of Sri Lanka, Mahindra Rajapakse, worked to crush the Tamil rebellion with the help and support of China.
The country’s tourism industry had been devastated by COVID-19. The global economic recession took a toll on it. Now even if Sri Lanka wants, it cannot overcome the Chinese debt trap.
Thus the sacrifice of thousands of Tamils went in vain. There was no review of extensive damage to property and people. Mahindra Rajapakse became a “hero” to Sri Lanka’s majority Sinhalese population for suppressing the Tamil rebellion.
Mahindra Rajapaksa’s every decision was treated like a sermon of Lord Gautama Buddha. Taking advantage of this situation, China began to increase its intervention while the oppression of the Tamil rebels was analyzed by the international community as injustice and atrocities. Sri Lanka lost the trust of Europe, the US, and other democratic countries of the world.
Even the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank were not ready to lend to Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka did not learn from the Pakistan incident. India with a population of 130 million gave equal rights to every caste, language, class, religion, and, culture and more opportunities to the disadvantaged.
If the Tamil movement had not been suppressed with the help and support of the Chinese government, Sri Lanka would not have been isolated from the world community. Hybrid nationalism is the main reason for Sri Lanka’s failure. Nepal should learn from this.
Mahindra Rajapaksa was well aware that he would not be opposed in Sri Lanka for decades and gradually he began to install his brothers, nephews, and family members in the ruling power of the country.
By promoting the slogan of nationalism, he institutionalized corruption. Chinese President Xi Jinping also thought that Sri Lanka was on his side and began to extend large amounts of loans. Isolated from the world community, Sri Lanka had no choice.
The country’s tourism industry had been devastated by COVID-19. The global economic recession took a toll on it. Now even if Sri Lanka wants, it cannot overcome the Chinese debt trap.
Pakistan was formed as a separate country for Muslims. However, due to the lack of positive cooperation in the preservation and development of the Bengali language and culture, the Muslims of East Bengal formed Bangladesh.
Sri Lanka did not learn from the Pakistan incident. India with a population of 130 million gave equal rights to every caste, language, class, religion, and, culture and more opportunities to the disadvantaged.
Nationalism has been strengthened. Instead of strengthening Nepal’s federalism, there are factors attempting to defame and uproot it; this is malicious.