From News Dispatches

NEW DELHI India has spent over Rs 12,000 crore on the Indian Army and the so called Indian Keeping Force stationed in Si Lanka. The current rate of spending on the IPKF is Rs 2 crore a day an Indian daily reported on April 29.

The IPKF, which began with strength of 15,000 in August 1987, reached the figure of a little over 50,000 within a few months. A partial withdrawal of 3,000 men took place in November 1988.

Apart from men, Armour has also been moved to Sri Lanka. The Air Force has been hauling men

and material to several places in the island. And the Navy has kept a watch on the escape and supply routes of the LITE.

A substantial amount is also spent on hiring accommodation.

Army Headquarters has put the casualty figures at 3,950 — 857 dead and 3,093 injured. Since the IPKF gets allbenefits which Indian soliders get in operations large sums have been paid in the shape of compensation and insurance.

Sri Lankan President Rangsinghe Premadeasa has been pressing Delhi to start withdrawing its forces. He favors a friendship treaty on the lines of the Indo Soviet pact under which each will go to the other’s help in the case of foreign aggression.

The Sri Lankan government feels encouraged in its objective of persuading India to pull out following the response of the Tamil LTTE to its talks offer. The LTTE has nominated Dr. A. Balasingram, its representative in London, for negotiations. He has said that he will discuss modalities for “a serious dialogue.”

Hisironic that withdrawal of IPKF is the first condition the Tamil which force was originally armed and trained by Indian army, LTTE has laid down for a serious dialogue. In fact, it was following this demand which was communicated to Delhi that Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi talked of an IPKF pullout “as soon as practicable.”

The visit by S.K. Singh, Indian Foreign Secretary may prepare the ground for a new friendship treaty between India and Sri Lanka but the main purpose of sending S.K.

Singh is to make it clear to Colombo that its talks with the LTTE should not be linked’ with the withdrawal of the IPKE, which may be forced to stay for a long time to protect the Tamil setup in Jaffna.

Delhi is reluctant to pull out the IPKF completely because the North Eastern Provincial Council in Sri Lanka feels assured by its presence. If fears that the whole structure may collapse and the LITE may begin to rule in northeastern. Tamil areas once the IPKF withdraw.

Article extracted from this publication >>  May 5, 1989