FSP warns of Indian designs to swamp Sri Lanka

As many as 4,000 operatives of India’s top spy agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), are currently engaged in operations in Sri Lanka, the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) has claimed.

Addressing a seminar titled “Is India the Big Brother?” held at the Colombo Foundation Institute on Sunday, FSP’s Propaganda Secretary Duminda Nagamuwa alleged that the RAW operatives were facilitating India’s predatory projects aimed at seizing control of critical national assets, including oceans, energy, electricity, land, ports, and airports.

“India’s ambitions do not stop at economic deals but may ultimately threaten Sri Lanka’s sovereignty,” Nagamuwa warned, noting that during President Anura Kumara Disanayake’s recent visit to India from Dec. 15 to 17, discussions had been held regarding certain agreements with India. Initially, the government claimed that no agreements had been finalized, but later, Minister Vijitha Herath admitted to the media that an agreement had been reached to award the digital national identity card contract to an Indian company. “If implemented, this would pose a serious national security threat,” Nagamuwa warned.

Nagamuwa also highlighted that former President Ranil Wickremesinghe had agreed to designate 7,000 acres around Trincomalee, including its port, as an Indian economic zone. This allocation comprises 2,255 acres owned by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority and 1,975 hectares occupied by fishing communities, potentially displacing 3,765 families. He added that the implementation of this plan has begun, under the current government, with the relocation of 114 families near the Lanka Bridge and Ashraff Jetty already underway, along with compensation payouts.

“India’s focus is currently on gaining control of Sri Lanka’s power grid,” Nagamuwa claimed, adding that a $12 million renewable energy project on the islands of Nainativu, Delft, Neduntivu, and Analaitivu was initially awarded to a Chinese company, Sinosar-Etechwin. However, following India’s protests, Gotabaya Rajapaksa had reversed the decision and granted the project to an Indian firm. Additionally, the Adani Group has secured approval to construct two wind power plants in Mannar and Pooneryn, generating 350 MW. Plans to expand this project to 20,000 MW could make Sri Lanka’s power sector heavily dependent on Adani, similar to its operations in Bangladesh, where the company controls 10% of electricity distribution, significantly influencing the country’s politics and economy.

Nagamuwa pointed out that the Trincomalee oil tank farm had been leased to the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) for 37 years, during which the company had utilised only 14 tanks. Agreements signed during Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s administration extended the lease by another 50 years, transferring significant energy resources to India. Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera later revealed plans for an oil pipeline from Nagapattinam, in India, to Trincomalee, signaling further Indian control.

Nagamuwa alleged that India’s ambitions extended to major ports and airports, including Colombo and Trincomalee ports, and the Bandaranaike and Mattala airports. Adani was reportedly eyeing airports like Palaly for connectivity to New Delhi and Mumbai, he claimed. Plans are also underway for ferry services between Talaimannar-Rameshwaram and Nagapattinam-Kankesanthurai, along with high-speed road and rail links between the two countries.

“Meanwhile, India continues to press for the signing of the ETCA agreement, which goes beyond trade in goods to include services. While some argue that Sri Lankans could find employment in India, critics point to India’s high unemployment rates, which could lead to an influx of Indian labour into Sri Lanka, undercutting local wages and labour conditions,” Nagamuwa said.

Nagamuwa warned that those developments indicated a pattern of economic encroachment, reminiscent of China’s acquisition of the Hambantota Port after Sri Lanka failed to repay its loans. He cautioned that Sri Lanka risked losing control over its resources and infrastructure, undermining its energy independence and economic stability. “The current administration must recognize these threats and act to safeguard the nation’s sovereignty.”