The Indian connection in Sri Lankan drug trade

Former Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena watches as police personnel try to destroy a stock of seized cocaine. (Pix AFP)

Starting from Kerala ganja there are some forms of yoga coming into Sri Lanka that are doing more bad than good

Our own politicians have this tendency to frequently run to Tirupathy in India when the ‘chips are down

It is a fact beyond dispute that the island’s political and cultural history is imbued with the influences gained from India

So what India offers us must be handled with care. Right now there is a wave of violence caused by the underworld which is rocking Sri Lanka

The bustling drugs trade operating in India uses Sri Lanka as a port for circulation purposes. As a result drugs pass through the Palk Straight and into the Sri Lankan waters

The death of a notorious Sri Lankan born gangster in India opens a window for us to peep into the past and observe how our closest neighbour offers us both the good and the bad. 

Whatever products and services this country is proud of the connecting reality to all that is that there is an Indian touch to them. From Buddhism to yoga and the use of marijuana and even some of our Kings have that Indian connection. 

The reason? India is just a hop step and jump away from Sri Lanka and the little distance between the two nations is a perfect fit when a criminal with a notorious track record in this island nation seeks an escape destination. 

Even LTTE supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran did that. According to an article published in ‘The Hindu’ many years ago Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi once decided to offer arms training to LTTE cadres for the purpose of self-defence. The move to train Sri Lanka’s rebel cadres was supported by the then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.G Ramachandran. For the record there had been such training centres in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. 
We also remember Tamil militant Varadajaja Perumal escaping to India after declaring independence for Ealam. In later years English tuition guru Sakvithi Ranasinghe vanished to India to avoid arrest in connection with a fraud linked to a financial organisation operated under his ownership. 

Though India prefers a peaceful Sri Lanka for and prosperity and trade in the Indian Ocean the South Asian giant knows its potential as a safe haven, for those who have brushes against the law

Though India prefers a peaceful Sri Lanka for prosperity and trade in the Indian Ocean the South Asian giant knows its potential as a safe haven, for those who have brushes against the law. 

The latest was Maddumage Chandana Lasantha Perera, better known as Angoda Lokka. The gangster was reported to have landed in India three years ago and maintained a makeshift family along with a food supplement business. He was reported dead some days ago and his funeral was held in Coimbatore, India.  

There are limited opportunities in India, but our ambitious Sri Lankans with a notorious track record have a second chance in life after landing in our neighbouring country. That English tuition master this writer just spoke of is said to have recommenced his tuition classes in India after making his escape. 

But right now the bad that’s coming into Sri Lanka from its neighbour outnumbers the good that trickles into this island; courtesy India. Starting from Kerala ganja there are some forms of yoga coming into Sri Lanka that are doing more bad than good. With regarding to the latter it is said that enthusiasts can learn yoga in India, but only a very few are given permission to start classes outside India. But what is happening is that students who complete the number of required hours in these Indian yoga classes as students are returning to Sri Lanka and commencing classes in their own gymnasiums pinning the questionable ‘yoga guru’ tag. Some of these students who’ve been to India teach a form of sports yoga which lacks a great deal of the spiritualism that it’s tied with. 

We also remember Tamil militant Varadajaja Perumal escaping to India after declaring independence for Ealam

The Buddhism that came to Sri Lanka was also from India. But over the years we’ve tried to call our most widely practised religion ‘Sinhala Buddhism’ and even tried to stay independent of India on this religious matter. But despite the Buddhism that we hold on to so dearly our own politicians have this tendency to frequently run to Tirupathy in India when the ‘chips are down’ and their political futures are threatened. “Being a country located geographically closer to Indian mainland, Sri Lanka shares an enormous cultural and spiritual legacy from Indian civilization. Even though Sri Lankans tend to boast about their complete separate identity from India, it is a fact beyond dispute that the island’s political and cultural history is imbued with the influences gained from India” writes Punsara Amarasinghe in an article titled ‘Tirupathi Factor: Unbreakable Symbol Of Sri Lankan Politicians’ Spiritual Dependence On India’ and posted on Colombo Telegraph. 

History shows us that Sri Lanka has relied more on India and not the opposite. And this dependence is associated with the good and the bad both. India is really good for us when we need to pursue higher education. India has over 800 universities. It is said that international students can receive quality education in India at the fraction of the cost compared with other countries, according to an article which appeared in www.timeshighereducation.com
And when it comes to cricket, the sport that both India and Sri Lanka love above all others, neighbouring India has been subject to criticism for causing so much damage to the ethics associated with this great sport largely due to the bookies and match-fixes who operate underground. 

India is just a hop step and jump away from Sri Lanka and the little distance between the two nations is a perfect fit when a criminal with a notorious track record in this island nation seeks an escape destination

So what India offers us must be handled with care. Right now there is a wave of violence caused by the underworld which is rocking Sri Lanka. In the past there were several shootouts and killings in the underworld. So given this background it’s a little disturbing to note that India serves as a haven for the members of the Sri Lankan underworld who are on the run. 

The bustling drugs trade operating in India uses Sri Lanka as a port for circulation purposes. As a result drugs pass through the Palk Straight and into the Sri Lankan waters. For the record former President Maithripala Sirisena was instrumental in destroying large stocks of narcotics in a bid rid the country of the drug menace. 

The death of Angoda Lokka, associated with drug trafficking, in India, underscores that Indian authorities must pay more attention to Sri Lanka’s attempts to rid the country of its drug menace. South India may be accustomed to opening its doors to Sri Lanka’s drug kingpins and taking this whole ‘sheltering business’ very lightly with little regarding to its consequences. But in Sri Lanka this drug trade has given indication that there is more than what meets the eye with the exposure that even hawks and cats were used in transportation of narcotics.