SOUTH ASIA PART

•POLITICAL SCIENCE
•CLASS 12th
•By AMIT ARORA
 TOPICS TO BE COVERED

DEMOCRACY IN SRI LANKA

ETHNIC CONFLICT IN SRILANKA
INDIA AND SRILANKA – AREAS OF CONFLICTS AND
COOPERATION
DEMOCRACY IN MALDIVES
INDIA’S RELATIONS WITH MALDIVES
 ETHNIC CONFLICT IN SRI LANKA AND DEMOCRACY IN SRI
LANKA
Sri Lanka has retained democracy since its independence in 1948 but it faced a
serious challenge due to the ethnic conflict leading to the demand for secession by
the Tamil minority.
(i) After its independence, politics in Sri Lanka was dominated by forces that
represented the interest of the majority Sinhala community. The Tamils who had
migrated from India to Sri Lanka settled there. This migration continued even
after independence. The Sinhala nationalists thought that Sri Lanka should not
give concessions to the Tamils because Sri Lanka belongs to the Sinhala people
only who were in majority.
(ii) The neglect of Tamil concerns led to militant Tamil nationalism. From 1983
onwards the militant organization, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
has been fighting an armed struggle with the army of Sri Lanka and demanding
‘Tamil Eelam’ or a separate country for the Tamils of Sri Lanka. The LTTE controls
the north-eastern parts of Sri Lanka.
 ETHNIC CONFLICT IN SRI LANKA AND DEMOCRACY IN SRI
LANKA
(iii) The Sri Lankan problem involves people of Indian origin, and there is a
considerable pressure from the Tamil people in India to the effect that the
Indian Government should protect the interests of the Tamils in Sri Lanka.
(iv) In 1987, the Government of India for the first time got directly involved in
the Sri Lankan Tamil question. India signed an accord with Sri Lanka and sent
troops to stabilize relations between the Sri Lankan Government and the
Tamils.
(v) The presence of Indian troops was also not liked much by the Sri Lankans.
They saw this as an attempt by India to interfere in the internal affairs of Sri
Lanka. In 1989 the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) pulled out of Sri Lanka
without attaining its objective.
 ETHNIC CONFLICT IN SRI LANKA AND DEMOCRACY IN SRI
LANKA

(vi) The Sri Lankan crisis continued to be violent. However, international

actors, particularly the Scandinavian countries such as Norway and Iceland
have been trying to bring the warring groups back to negotiations.
(vii) In 2009 the Sri Lankan Government took strong military action and
destroyed the LTTE putting an end to the ethnic conflict.
 INDIA- SRI LANKA
RELATIONSHIP
• The difficulties in the relationship between the governments of India
and Sri Lanka are mostly over ethnic conflict in the island nation. Indian
leaders and citizens have found it impossible to remain neutral when
Tamils are politically unhappy and were being killed. After the military
intervention in 1987, the Indian Government now prefers a policy of
disengagement vis-à -vis Sri Lanka’s internal troubles. India signed a free
trade agreement with Sri Lanka, which strengthened relations between
two countries. India’s help in post tsunami reconstruction in Sri Lank
has also brought the two countries closer.
 DEMOCRACY IN MALDIVES
1965 - Full independence as a sultanate outside Commonwealth.
1968 - Sultan deposed after referendum; republic reinstated with Ibrahim
Nasir as president.
1978 - Nasir retires, replaced by Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.
1988 - Coup attempt involving Sri Lankan mercenaries foiled with the help of
Indian commandos.
1999 November - Parliamentary elections take place, with more than 120
independent candidates contesting 40 seats.
2002 September - President Gayoom warns low-lying islands at greater risk
than ever before, and calls on international community to take urgent action to
prevent global environmental catastrophe
 DEMOCRACY IN MALDIVES
2003 October - Mr Gayoom re-elected for unprecedented sixth term in
presidential referendum, winning more than 90% of the vote.
2004 June - President Gayoom promises constitutional changes to limit
presidential term and allow formation of political parties.
2004 August - State of emergency imposed after a pro-democracy
demonstration turns violent. Almost 100 people are jailed.
2004 December - Scores of people are killed and many islands suffer severe
damage when a tsunami generated by a powerful undersea earthquake off the
Indonesian coast hits the Maldives. The government says the disaster set
development work back by 20 years.
2005 June - Parliament votes unanimously to allow multi-party politics.
 DEMOCRACY IN MALDIVES
2005 August - Opposition party leader Mohamed Nasheed is charged with
terrorism and sedition.
2006 March - President Gayoom unveils a "roadmap" for democratic reforms,
which he says will enhance multi-party politics.
2007 August - Voters in a referendum back President Gayoom's proposal for a
presidential system of government.
2008 January - President Gayoom survives an assassination attempt after 15-year-
old boy scout Mohamed Jaisham wrestled a kitchen knife from the would-be
killer's hands.
2008 August - President Gayoom ratifies new constitution that paves the way for
first multi-party presidential elections.
 DEMOCRACY IN MALDIVES
2008 October - Opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed defeats President Gayoom
in second round of voting, inaugurated as president in November.
2009 April - President Nasheed says government will deregulate the state-
controlled media and ensure media freedom and competition.
2011 May - Police clash with opposition-led protesters complaining about food
prices.
2012 January - Row erupts over arrest of the chief justice, who ordered the
release of a government critic.
2012 February - President Nasheed announces his resignation after a mutiny by
the police and weeks of demonstrations over the arrest of the chief justice. Later,
he says he was forced out in a coup.
 DEMOCRACY IN MALDIVES
2013 October - Supreme Court annuls the result of the first round of presidential
elections held in September because of alleged irregularities.
2013 November - Abdulla Yameen, half-brother of former President Gayoom,
wins presidential election run-off.
2015 March - Former president Mohammed Nasheed is jailed for 13 years after
being found guilty on terrorism charges. The verdict, which his party says is
politically motivated. elicits international concern from governments and rights
groups.
2016 February - Sheikh Imran Abdulla, the leader of the Islamist opposition
Adhaalath Party, is jailed for 12 years on a terrorism charge for inciting unrest
during an anti-government rally.
 DEMOCRACY IN MALDIVES
2016 May - Former president Mohamed Nasheed is granted refugee status in
Britain.
2016 June - Former vice-president Ahmed Adeeb is convicted of plotting to
assassinate President Abdulla Yameen and jailed for 15 years.
2016 October - The Maldives announces it is leaving the Commonwealth. The
international organization had earlier warned the country that it risked suspension
if it failed to show progress in promoting democracy.
2018 February - Political turmoil as government defies Supreme Court order to
free prisoners whose convictions it had quashed.
2018 September - Opposition leader Ibrahim Mohamed Solih scores surprise win
over President Abdulla Yameen in presidential election.