COVER STORY
THEMALDIVES ANDSRILANKAWERETHE
twocountriesPrimeMinisterNarendra Modi chose to
visitafterhis sweepingvictoryin the generalelectionin
May.He wasalsothefirst foreign leader to visitColombo
afterthe heinousEasterSundayterrorattacks,oneof the
worstwitnessed on the subcontinent.ThePrimeMinis-
tervisitedoneof thechurchesthatwasattackedto
express “solidaritywiththe peopleof Sri Lanka”. Indian
intelligenceagencieshadforewarnedtheirSri Lankan
counterpartson the terrorthreatsto theirislandnation.
However, therewasno speedy follow-upaction,which
hasbeenblamedon thepoliticalimpassethathasaf-
fectedthegovernmentin Colombofromlatelastyear.
Theblamegamethathasbeengoingon hasfurther
dividedthe embattledSri Lankan government.Sincecomingto officefor thefirst timein 2014,the
Modi governmenthasbeen emphasisinga “neighbour-
hoodfirst”policy.ForeignSecretaryVijayGokhalesaid
thatModi’s decisionto visitthe MaldivesandSri Lanka
for hisfirst overseastripin his second term“underlines
thecontinuedimportancethatthegovernmentlayson
the ‘neighbourhoodfirst’ policy”.Pakistan, despitebeing
an immediate neighbour, hasbeentreated moreas an
“enemynation”by the Modigovernment. Chinais con-
sidereda strategicrival.As it is, the Indiangovernment’s
“neighbourhoodfirst”policyhasnotbeenmuchof a
foreign policysuccess.
In the pastfive years,Nepalhas tiltedtowardsChina.
TheBhutaneseelecteda newgovernment lastyearthat
wantsto breakfreefromIndiantutelageandpursueanTroubled neighbour
India-SriLankarelationsareoftenfraught,andaftertheterrorattacksin
theislandnation,thereis a fearthatit couldonceagainbesuckedintoa
viciouscycleof violenceandbloodletting,a scenariothatwouldbe
dangerousforIndiaandtheentireregion.BYJOHNCHERIAN
PRIMEMINISTERNARENDRAMODIandPresidentMaithripalaSirisenaat the presidentialsecretariatin Colomboon
June9. (Right) Onthesameday, Modiat St.Anthony’sChurch,one of placesattackedonEasterSunday.Prime Minister
RanilWickremesingheis at the farright in the picture.ERANG
AJAYAWARDE
NA/
AP