NEW DELHI: Even as it publicly refused to give Sri Lanka any offensive weapons for the war against LTTE, India had a "hidden hand" in the
success of the island nation's campaign over the terrorist outfit, says a new book.

Although in the initial days he was advised to seek a negotiated settlement with the Tamil Tigers, New Delhi saw merit in Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse's argument that the LTTE was only biding its time to regroup and rearm itself and that war was inevitable sooner than later, says 'Sri Lanka, From War to Peace', by journalist Nitin Gokhale.

Defence and Strategic Affairs Editor with NDTV, Gokhale covered the 33-month Eelam War in Sri Lanka.

The Mi-17s that India 'quietly gifted' to Lanka were in addition to a Sukanya class offshore patrol vessel also gifted by the Indian Coast Guard to the Sri Lankan Navy in 2002. The choppers played a major role in several daring missions launched by the Sri Lankan Air Force to rescue the army's deep penetration units and injured soldiers from deep inside LTTE-held territory, the book says.

"Hampered by domestic compulsion, New Delhi could not go beyond such meagre and clandestine transfer of military hardware. Publicly all India was willing to acknowledge was the supply of low-flying detection "Indra" radars to the Sri Lankan Air Force since this equipment was considered a defensive apparatus," the author says.

Gokhale quotes senior Sri Lankan army officers saying that thanks to the Mi-17s, the soldiers operating behind enemy lines functioned with a greater degree of confidence since they knew these choppers were always at hand to come to their rescue whenever necessary. This surely was the key factor in our Special Forces delivering spectacular results.

Not wanting to annoy its Tamil Nadu allies like the DMK unnecessarily, New Delhi had a 'politically most important message' conveyed to Colombo to try and conclude the war against the LTTE (called Eelam War IV) before the summer of 2009 when India was expected to hold the general elections, Gokhale says.

"The Rajapakse regime was nothing if not shrewd". Aware of dynamics that determined India's Lankan policies, it was also conscious of India's anxiety in losing strategic space in Sri Lanka. The Rajapakse brothers were pragmatic enough to realize that Lanka needed India's support in war against the LTTE, total support from China and Pakistan notwithstanding".

Colombo could ignore India but only upto a point, the author says.

So Mahinda Rajapakse hit upon an idea of an informal exchange mechanism between New Delhi and Colombo. He nominated both his brothers - Basil (MP and Presidential advisor) and Gotabaya, the Defence Secretary along with his own secretary Lalith Weeratunga.

India too reciprocated immediately. The Indian team comprised National Security Advisor M K Narayanan, Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon and Defence Secretary Vijay Singh.

Colombo may have been ambivalent about meeting Indian requests to end the operations before the general elections but the Sri Lankan leadership once again gratefully acknowledged the Indian Navy's contribution in locating and destroying at least 10 'floating warehouses' owned by the LTTE that were used by the Tigers to store arms, ammunition and even armoured personnel carriers.

Well-coordinated operations by the two navies between 2006 and 2009 actually broke the backbone of the Sea Tigers, Gokhale says.

Also, under an agreement between the two countries, the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard frequently sent out ships to patrol the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar. Presence of warships and Indian patrol vessels acted as firm deterrence against the Sea Tigers, the book says.

The book also notes the transformation of the Sri Lankan Air Force and Navy into lethal forces that played vital roles in victory over the LTTE. "The Sri Lankan Air Force had indeed come a long way from its inglorious days in the 1990s when it lost three aircraft to the LTTE's ground fire in the assault on Jaffna".

"What is not so well known is that the Sri Lankan Air Force jets almost killed Prabhakaran in one of the air raids on his hideout in Puththukudirippu. But as luck would have it, Prabhakaran had left the base minutes before the bombs rained on the target," the book says.

Gokhale also says that if the Indians quietly helped the Sri Lankan Navy transform itself, the Lankan Air Force got a big boost from the Chinese and the Pakistanis. Pakistani personnel helped the Lankans in training and maintenance while the Chinese supplied them with vital equipment at a critical time. The Chinese gifted four F7 GS fighter planes which are the most sophisticated jets in Sri Lanka's arsenal today with in-built air interception radar and carry four heat seeking missiles, he says.

After a successful campaign against the LTTE, President Rajapakse's biggest challenge would be to win the peace by sparking reconciliation between its majority Sinhalese and minority Tamil ethnic populations, healing a rift that looks unbridgeable, Gokhale says. Rajapakse will have to restore to their homes and livelihoods some 300,000 Tamils in the North who fled the fighting only to be housed in camps.

"President Rajapakse and his team must avoid triumphalism to spoil the enormous goodwill that they have earned by winning the war. They must ensure that the death of one Prabhakaran does not lead to birth of another. Therein lies Mahinda Rajapakse's test," the book says.



http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/india/India-behind-Lankas-victory-over-LTTE-Book/articleshow/4924585.cms

This has been discussed before. So to save myself time I am just going to c+p sections of responses I have given earlier with regards to this book as well as other related topics.

-----------------------

"India's hidden hand behind Lanka's victory over LTTE: book"

This book tilts more in the direction of fiction than fact in some areas.


Lanka rejects some of Gokhales claims

A senior Defence official yesterday said though Sri Lanka had received Indian support for its military campaign against the LTTE, there was absolutely no truth in the claim that India gifted five Mi-17 helicopters to the SLAF. He said that Nitin A. Gokhales claim made in his book "Sri Lanka - From War to Peace" was baseless. The Sri Lankan military also dismissed the claim that an Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) acquired from India had been involved in SLAF operations to evacuate army Special Forces and Commandos operating deep inside LTTE-held territory. The SLAF had flown a few rescue missions involving Bell 212s and Mi 24 helicopter gunships but there had not been any role whatsoever by the navy, the official said. (SF)

http://www.island.lk/2009/08/24/news5.html

Indian coastguard had a luck lustre approach in dealing with supplies of fuel, detonators, C4 and electronics coming in from Kerala and Tamil Nadu. They were not too interested in stopping the flow from the Indian side and it was left for the Sri Lankan Navy to handle.

Also the Sri Lankan Navy after interrogating LTTE operatives controlling the Indian registered fishing trawler called "Sri Kirshna" (captured by the Maldivian Defence Forces) managed to find the location of the LTTEs remaining 4 large deep sea cargo vessels (dubbed "floating warehouses") that transport heavy weapons, ammunition and explosives from South East Asia near SL waters then unload them onto fishing boats and speed boats taking the cargo "in pieces" towards (what were) LTTE controlled shores. (These shipping networks and access to South East Asian weapons bazaars was set up RAW for the LTTE in the 70s/80s). The SLN launched its first deep sea operation in August/September 2007, heading towards Indonesia and destroyed the 4 ships (though there are some more significantly smaller vessels believed to be floating around). If anything its the Maldives that deserves credit.


The LTTE's guerrilla style attacks were countered by the Army's own small attack units (initially formed in 2002). Again i covered this in an earlier post (segment of which i have c+p here) as well as in this post, these tactics and knowledge acquired in countering insurgent forces such as the LTTE is what has sparked some interest by other Militaries.

The naval tactics developed to deal with small-armed fast boats and suicide boat attacks by the SLNs Special Boat Squadron and Rapid Action Boat Squadron has also gained interest by other Militaries.
http://www.island.lk/2009/08/24/news1.html

This is how the Sea Tigers were defeated. India never had any naval engagement with the Sea Tigers, nor did the Sea Tiger ever attack Indian ships.

Indra-II radars hastily given and deployed in the North and East (to prevent SL placing Chinese ones in the area) were useless (words of the Indian operator not mine) in detecting the LTTE planes. The medical staff India supplied recently were really their for India to have a ground presence in Sri Lanka under the cover of helping with Tamil IDPs (and LTTE cadres, many of them, disguised as civilians) needing medical attention we do have our own medical personal and plenty of them, but help is help and no need to reject it. India was worried with China also providing the same.

The 5 Mi-17s were given for the Tsunami on lease of which only two were delivered and were returned to India in mid 2005. The Sayura has been useful but it alone did not win the war for us (had a major role though). It was bought during Chandrika's time to as a sort of "friendship" thing (instead of two Russian ships) during a failed attempt to create a Naval Air Wing.

Sayura spent most of its time in dry dock or patrolling near the Maldives. Only when the current MR Government came to power was it equipped with Israeli technology which really improved its worth and enabling it to play an excellent role in hunting down LTTE weapons transport vessels.


Mr. Gokhale has spun in a bit of his own imagination while penning this book, or maybe hes just trying to piss of Karunanidhi. What he has written looks more like a collection of information taken from various Sri Lankan authors and defence correspondents over the last 3 years. What he states/his material is not really original and not revelations unravelled by him alone.

SL got plenty of help with hardware and training from practically everywhere. The war was deemed "un-winnable" by the West and all the other big noise makers, top Indian generals towed this line as did the likes of B. Raman, all of whom were proved wrong in the end.

India's assistance was rather small when compared to what was received from other places, so India trying to be another father of the victory and claim a large sum of the credit is odd.

http://www.network54.com/Forum/211833/thread/1251058031/last-1251251377/Now%2C+UK+wants+to+share+Lanka%92s+experience


\\Well victory does have a thousand fathers and defeat is always an orphan. If the outcome of the war was different this "hand" would defiantly remain hidden.\\


Irrespective of the "hand" being hidden or not, one thing which is pretty much sure is that had Srilanka lost the war and the LTTE won it, the same people who are now rejecting India's "hand" would be the first people to make India the scapegoat and see India's "hidden hand" everywhere.



---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

\\Lanka rejects some of Gokhales claims\\


So does Indian Govt.That is the whole point. India will always downplay its defense relationship with srilanka as long as the srilankan Sinhalese and the Srilankan Tamils patch up with each other and the issue loses its political steam in Tamil nadu. The Srilankan Govt will not admit that India helped them in crucial moments until the Indian Govt is comfortable with the world knowing it as it will put the Indian Govt in difficult positions with respect to Tamil politicians.

http://www.zeenews.com/news557957.html

'Asked about the book by television journalist claiming that India offered M17 choppers to Sri Lankan army, Raju said "it must have been purely in self-defense and no more". He did not elaborate'.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

\\SL got plenty of help with hardware and training from practically everywhere, India has blown hot and cold (Tamil Nadu factor playing into this as you said). The war was deemed "un-winnable" by the West and all the other big noise makers, top Indian generals towed this line as did the likes of B. Raman, all of whom were proved wrong in the end.\\


SL got hardware from everywhere after they kept India in the loop. India did make some hot and cold statements primarily during the electing period when the ruling coalition in New Delhi needed the support of Tamil parties, but it did not do anything on the ground which would impede SL's arms acquiring effort because the Srilankans had regular communications with Indians on their defense needs.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


\\India's assistance was rather small when compared to what was received from other places, so India trying to be another father of the victory and claim a large sum of the credit is odd.\\


Where did is it anywhere mentioned that India is trying to be the father of the victory of LTTE ? If it is anything at all, the Indian Govt is distancing itself as much as it can from the revelations that it covertly supplied weapons to the Srilankan Govt forces. It was clear from the outset that from the moment the Indians withdrew support to the LTTE, the LTTE days were numbered. As far as Srilanka is concerned, India has always been the scapegoat both for the Sinhalese as well as the Srilankan Tamils. While the Sinhalese accuse the Indians of "Big brother attitude" towards the Sinhalese, the Srilankan Tamils in the same breadth accuse India of decimating the LTTE by covertly supporting the Srilankan Govt.


http://www.tamilnation.org/intframe/india/071104intelligence_support.htm

India's intelligence support for Sri Lanka


'Reports say India helped Sri Lanka to install radar stations in Anuradhapura, Vavuniyaa and Trincomalee apart from several other places in the south of Sri Lanka.'

'There are speculations that intelligence related to sea traffic is being supplied to Sri Lanka by India and this played a crucial role in the recent sinking of vessels alleged to be carrying arms for the LTTE'

'It is said that many such activities take place on the basis of secret protocols agreed between India and Sri Lanka in recent times. At present it is mostly operative at the officers level. Monthly meetings and briefings take place regularly between the officers of the two countries.

'Another noticeable development, in addition to the supply of improved marine and satellite intelligence, is the Indian interest in training Sri Lankan armed forces. Analysts say India has increased the number of officer-trainees from 900 which was agreed upon earlier, to 2,250 in the current year, despite public opposition in Tamil Nadu for any military assistance to Sri Lanka'.



------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------


\\Sri Lanka choosing to adopt independent policies and what were progressive national policies in the 70s which managed to "upset" India does not justify India's actions in destabilizing, exasperating and seeding violence in Sri Lanka or anywhere else (well it would if India did not possess and project a "holier than thou" attitude to the whole neighborhood despite its own obvious problems nor protest loudly when others carry out violence in India or provide unwanted lectures).\\


"Progressive national policies" does not equal allowing your country to be used as a base by outside powers against India. As the Srilankan President Mahinda Rajapakse himself admitted, the reason why Indian had to support the LTTE in the past is the threats of using the 'American card' against India by the Sri Lankan politicians at that time when India and America were not in good terms. India retaliated by using the 'LTTE card'. The security of India's southern flank depends on the security of Srilanka.Both are closely linked to each other. But the Srilankan politicians always used this interdependence as a weapon and bargaining chip against India by playing 'American card' (as in the past) or 'China card' (as they are trying to do now) whatever suited them.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

\\Rajapaksa of course will say what needs to be said. He wants good relations while India wants a master servant relationship, which he counters by playing the China card.\\

To characterize India's relations with Srilank as Master-Servant relation is absurdity of the highest order. The Indians have told repeatedly they don't have neither territorial ambitions in Srilanka nor they have any interest in destabilizing Srilanka.The srilankans simply forget that it was they who first asked India to intervene in Srilanka and when India did intervene and forced a peace agreement between them and LTTE, the Sinhalese chauvinists like then president premadasa went to the extent of supplying weapons to LTTE to be used against India. And when India was on the verge of decimating LTTE, its was again then SL president premadasa who asked India to withdrew its forces.Srilanka was not India's war. And yet the Indians intervened because the civil war in Srilanka was used by all and sundry to get a foothold in srilanka which was against Indian interests.


This is the interview of Srilankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa who talks about How the former president Premadasa sabotaged IPKF.Even as far as 2008, he wants India to mediate which India has been consistantly refused after the "gratitiude" the Srilankans had shown to the IPKF.


http://www.indianexpress.com/news/why-not-india-to-mediate-with-ltte-i-trust-neighbours-if-they-are-ready.-i-think-they-know-lttes-mentality/261222/0



Reporter : You can describe yourself as a hawk or a dove, but the fact is that this kind of a sustained military campaign has not been seen in the past. In fact its also a success because now LTTE has isolated itself to a corner.


President Rajapaksa : I have learnt from history, experience, because whenever I say there is a ceasefire, whenever they have had some breathing period, they have increased their fire power, trained their people, and started fighting after that. They were not genuine.


Reporter: So they have exploited the period of ceasefire.


President Rajapaksa : Yes.


Reporter: And you are not going to let it happen now.


President Rajapaksa : I wont. I dont think I will, because knowing what happened earlier, why should I do the same thing? If they hand over their arms to an independent party . . .


Reporter: Or a mediator. Like the Norwegians?


President Rajapaksa : Why not India?


Reporter : Are you serious?


President Rajapaksa : Yes.


Reporter : Would you rather that India mediate, or a really neutral country like Norway?


President Rajapaksa : I trust neighbours. Let them handle it if they want, if they are ready. But I dont mind if there is a group of SAARC countries. Ill prefer (that).


Reporter : Why are you shy of the Scandinavians? They are everybodys neutral these days.


President Rajapaksa : This is what everybody is talking about. This is the picture you see. I dont mind whether it is Norwegians, Japanese, or some other Scandinavian country. Its whether the people of our country will believe them or trust them.


Reporter: You think a bigger power will command a greater assurance?


President Rajapaksa : I think so, because sometimes the pressure that India can put on the LTTE . . . I think they know their mentality. Theyve been working with them for a long time.


Reporter: One way and the other. But can India do all this despite the Tamil politics?


President Rajapaksa : This is my problem, about which Im always thinking. I dont want to pressurise India or make any demands on it, because I know the difficulty, especially in a coalition government.


Reporter : Have you made progress in your talks with the Indian side?


President Rajapaksa : I think we have a very good relationship. They understand me and I think now they understand me better than earlier.


Reporter : Earlier, even they saw you as a hawk.


President Rajapaksa : I dont know. I wont say anything about it. But I think now they know who Mahinda Rajapaksa is and what I think.


Reporter : Did you see initially that there were areas where the Indian side needed to understand you better?


President Rajapaksa : I think some of our leaders who were close to India and who went there must have given a wrong picture about me. But when they understood me, it was very easy to negotiate and talk to them and they were very sympathetic.


Reporter : Have you asked (India) that whenever you are ready, I would like you to mediate?


President Rajapaksa : They never asked me.


Reporter : Have you asked them?


President Rajapaksa : We will prefer them.


Reporter : You will prefer India to mediate?


President Rajapaksa : This I said before I became a MP.


Reporter : But politicians say one thing when they are out of power and another when they are in power.


President Rajapaksa : When I was a minister and when I went to Dehradun, somebody asked me this question, and I said, Yes, why not! But western countries, and even India, prefer (that) a country like Norway (negotiate).


Reporter : Its interesting that you say so. But tell me one thing: would the public opinion in Sri Lanka accept an Indian role?


President Rajapaksa : I think so.


Reporter : After the IPKF experience? Is there no gratitude for what the IPKF did here?


President Rajapaksa : Thats past. We have to build a new relationship. There is a new trend in Sri Lanka. Most businessmen are investing in Sri Lanka. In the past, I will admit, we have not shown gratitude. But as soon as I came I ordered a monument to be built for them (IPKF) and I will see the work is completed before our Independence Day, February 4. Its under construction.


Reporter : Where is it being built?


President Rajapaksa : Near Parliament.


Reporter : You dont think this is an unpopular decision? Will Sri Lanka appreciate that?


President Rajapaksa : I dont think this will be an unpopular move. But the LTTE may not like it.


Reporter : So you are saying that the people of Sri Lanka should have some gratitude for what the IPKF did here?


President Rajapaksa : Certainly. They came here and sacrificed their lives.


Reporter : And many limbs. And what did they achieve for Sri Lanka that people at that point of time did not appreciate?


President Rajapaksa : That was a political campaign by Premadasa. If Premadasa had allowed IPKF to continue for another few months, they would have done something substantial.


Reporter : Finish the LTTE? Do you think they were that close.


President Rajapaksa : In a way, yes. They would have at least given the Sri Lankan army a better position.


Reporter : And Premadasa sabotaged it? He was a Sri Lankan patriot.


President Rajapaksa : The problem was that he wanted to become the president of this country and wanted the support of some of the extremists, some of the Left parties.


Reporter : Like the JVP then. And just for the cynical pursuit of presidency he did this?


President Rajapaksa : Yes.


Reporter : Because when I used to come here as a travelling reporter, people used to say that the Sri Lankan government used to supply weaponry to the LTTE and at the same time used to leak the movement of the Indian units to the LTTE.


President Rajapaksa : I dont want to comment on the (allegations of ) the Sri Lankan army supplying weapons or giving information about the (IPKF) troops. But that was an allegation by the opposition.


Reporter : No, not your opposition, but your own party people: Chandrika Kumaratunga once told me, he supplied weapons and later Lalith (Atulathmudali) went a step further and said these weapons were supplied to the LTTE by Premadasa in Tata trucks supplied (by India) to the Sri Lankan army.


President Rajapaksa : Quite right. But I dont want to comment on what he did because hes dead and gone.


===========================================
Let Noble Thoughts Come to Us from All Sides- RigVeda

-------------------------------------------

Everybody knows whats the truth is.
SL Army though wel trained and professional had no chance in defeating the LTTE singlehandedly. We did see in the Elephanta pass rout, where 5000 LTTE cadres routed 30,000 SL armed soldiers !!!


Any way, Lankan Gov must now concentrate to rehabilitate the tamil refugees instead of arresting journalists and innocent citizens.

SL Army though wel trained and professional had no chance in defeating the LTTE singlehandedly. We did see in the Elephanta pass rout, where 5000 LTTE cadres routed 30,000 SL armed soldiers !!!


You have again mixed the numbers up. There were 2,000 soldiers at Elephant Pass, 40,000 in the Peninsula "above".

The 40,000 rout would have happened had it not been for the vital support from Pakistan.

Covered in more detail here:

http://www.network54.com/Forum/242808/thread/1251379765/last-1251807896/TO+Star%27s+Olivia+Ward-++%26quot%3BExecution+video+sparks+Tamil+outrage.%26quot%3B

^ You did not respond to our replies in that previous thread in the main forum yet to copy paste the same article you had pasted back then (which was debunked). Why so chicken?

Though its true, assistance can only get you to a certain plane, after that its your men who will have to do the job. Congrats to the SLA for routing the terrorist LTTE...now if only they could teach their friends in Pakistan how to defeat guerilla forces, LOL.




==================================
Tu dhoop hain jham se bikhar
Tu hai nadee o bekhabar
Beh chal kahin ud chal kahin
Dil khush jahan teri toh manzil hai wahin.