Is India a New Power Bloc in Asia?

Both China and India are marveled at their phenomenal economic

growth, imposing military might and their own individual quest for
regional influence. There were recent reports emanating from US official
think tanks that India will become a power bloc in the region in the next
decade. This means that the country will have enough say in the regional
politics, directly or indirectly influencing the smaller, growing nations
and lining them up behind it.

Scene 1

In the back drop of the four decade long civil war coming to an end in Sri
Lanka, obviously with the direct and greater help from India and indirect
and smaller aid fromChina, a casual observer would expect Sri Lanka to
be indebted and obliged to India.

But the killings of hapless of Indian fishermen have continued unabated.

The numbers are increasing every month, says the Tamil Nadu
Fishermen Association indicating that the growing numbers constitute
indiscriminate shooting and killing, illegal capture and detention,
torture, looting and wrecking the boats and letting the fishermen fend for
themselves in the deep sea.

Despite growing protests in Tamil Nadu (a very guarded responses from

ruling party as it is in coalition with the centre), spearheaded by a very
vocal opposition party and humanitarian associations, Sri Lankan Navy
and Coast Guards have continued to kill and ruin the lives of hundreds
of Indian fishermen and their families.

Central government, through its coast guard, navy and patrol vehicles, it
claims, ensures that the Indian fishermen do not encroach into Sri
Lankan waters, which it says is the only reason that its citizens are being
shot and killed. Official protests are being sent, though sounding very
subtle, says New Delhi.

Last week the Coast Guard and the Navy of the would-be power bloc,
have decided to hold an urgent meeting with the Sri Lankan Navy to
‘discuss’ ways and means to stop “physical attack” on Tamil Nadu
fishermen.

What is more interesting to note is the pleading and reconciliatory tone of

Indian officers and the usual high handed and negligent tone of Sri
Lankans. Commandant D.S. Saini, Commanding Officer, Coast Guard
Station, Mandapam, said to the press that the proposal for the meeting
was accepted (emphasis intended by me) by the Sri Lankan Navy, which
came forward to depute a high-level delegation.

“On humanitarian ground, we had asked for an urgent meeting, which

was promptly accepted by the Sri Lankan Navy and it is to be held in 3 or
4 days,” he said.

He further mentioned that suitable action could be taken on them as per

the law of the land (in Sri Lanka, when fishermen cross into their
borders). As the press was questioning him on a recent incident in
which seven fishermen of Rameswaram were injured near
Kachchatheevu, allegedly attacked by the Sri Lankan Navy, he said it
had not taken place in Indian waters.

What we could infer from the official’s observations are:

1. India pleads for a meeting with Sri Lanka to discuss the shooting on
its citizens
2. Sri Lanka had promptly accepted to discuss its shootings
3. Indian officer feels that Indian citizens, should be arrested and tried
in Sri Lanka if they crossed into the maritime boundary unknowingly or
knowingly while fishing
4. If Indian citizens are shot and killed outside Indian
waters, India would not know of it nor would it care.

Scene 2

There was high drama between China and Japan this month. Japan,
recently being dislodged by China as world’s second largest economy
after the US, had arrested a Chinese fishing boat captain in its waters,
accusing him that he had damaged two of its patrol vessels.

It said Zhan Qixiong has deliberately rammed two patrol vessels near
disputed islands in the East China Sea. It had proofs of the sunken
vessels and the debris from the collision site. Zhan Qixiong was to be
tried legally. China said his detention was "illegal and invalid", escalating
the issue to the highest level at the soonest possible time.
Beijing cut off ministerial level contacts between the two countries and
thousands of Chinese tourists pulled out of trips to Japan. Concerts by
a Japan's top boy band SMAP due to take place in Shanghai were
cancelled by the Chinese organisers.

Earlier this week Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said that Japan bore full
responsibility for the situation and demanded the immediate release of
the captain.

As Japan was not relenting, China detained, as a retaliatory measure,

four Japanese men on suspicion of illegally filming in a military area.
These four men were legally employed by a Japanese construction
company bidding for a project in China to dispose of chemical weapons
from World War II.

This move was followed by a very terse warning foreseeing ‘risks in

regional peace’. Facing mounting pressure from its ally US, Japan agreed
to release the fishing captain unconditionally, with a statement which
did not connect his release with the exchange of the four detained
Japanese employees in China. China sent a chartered plane to fly the
captain back home and demanded an apology and compensation
from Japan.
Now, these are two similar situations. To add weight to how China had
responded to the situation was the fact that the other party in its case is
the mighty Japan and not a war-battered, miniscule Sri Lanka.

Setting aside other geo-political considerations India might have in

dealing Sri Lankasternly, what baffles one is the callousness with which
hundreds of human lives are lost in the Indian handling of this issue.

If China could go to that extreme of rallying the whole country behind it

for the cause of one lone fisherman, what should stop India raising its
finger or voice against Sri Lanka to save scores of its fishermen?

What is the inherent weakness that India possesses which makes it

incapable of saving its citizens?