China's Turn to Sri Lanka's Tamils Is a Headache for India

The ongoing crisis must be seen within the context of two interesting developments in northern Sri Lanka. First, days before the escalation, Sri Lankan Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda met US Ambassador Martin K. Kelly on 13 December and sought his assistance to resolve the fisheries dispute between India and Sri Lanka. The push for the internationalisation of the dispute by a prominent Sri Lankan Tamil leader is likely to create tensions in the India-Sri Lanka relationship. The fact that Devananda has been a long-term critic of Indian influence in Sri...