Lai Zhenping, who once negotiated the Chinese naval base in Gwadar Port, came to Sri Lanka this time. The country is still in turmoil. There are two main ethnic groups in Sri Lanka. The Sinhalese are more dominant and live in the more economically developed areas in the west and south, while the Tamils ??have a relatively small population and live in the north and south. east.
During the colonial period, in order to divide and balance Sri Lanka and achieve their best control, the British immigrated a large number of Tamils ??from India to Sri Lanka. The two sides had different religions and races, and conflicts frequently broke out. After Sri Lanka became independent, the conflicts between the two ethnic groups did not ease. On the contrary, it is getting worse.
In 1933, the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka declared Sinhala as the only official language of the country, which caused dissatisfaction among the Tamil people. The Tamils ??formed the United Liberation Front and demanded independence in the northern and eastern areas where they live. However, in the relatively non-violent but hostile conflict between the two ethnic groups, some young radicals gradually formed organizations, the most famous of which was the "LTTE". The LTTE's ideology is radical and extreme. The main means to achieve their political demands is not negotiation and communication, but violent activities, mainly assassinations and terrorist activities.
In 1983, the LTTE launched an attack and killed 13 government soldiers in the Jaffna Peninsula. This incident aroused the anger of the Sinhalese people, who were angry with some Tamils ??and carried out organized revenge, eventually triggering large-scale riots. At least hundreds of people died in the riots, and Tamils ??living in Sinhalese-majority areas had to flee their homes.
Immediately afterwards, the LTTE planned more violent actions. They implemented a policy of ethnic cleansing in the Tamil-inhabited areas in the northeast. Many Sinhalese villages were completely destroyed and all Sinhalese were massacred, regardless of gender, age or child. They would also hijack buses and rush onto the streets, shooting them no matter where they were. They don't even care that they are killing compatriots of their own ethnic group, just to provoke larger-scale ethnic conflicts and vendettas between Sinhalese and Tamils.
The LTTE has also repeatedly used suicide attacks such as bomb trucks to attack civilian facilities in Colombo and other places. It is precisely because it uses all possible means. Although the LTTE's so-called goal of seeking national independence is recognized by some Westerners, they The methods used are despised by countries around the world, and many countries have listed the LTTE as a terrorist organization.
In 1987, India intervened in the situation in Sri Lanka and clashed with the LTTE. The two sides launched a long-term battle over the Jaffna Peninsula in the northern part of the island. The government troops withdrew from the area and returned to the south to fight against the rebel People's Liberation Front.
It was at this time that Lai Zhenping, as the representative of China, came with sincerity and kindness.
The small country of Sri Lanka has a rather peculiar phenomenon. There are relatively many communist and socialist political forces in the country, such as the Sri Lanka CP, the Sri Lanka People's Liberation Front, etc. In the 1960s, the country's CP made a very pragmatic judgment. The main task it has to accomplish at this stage is the bourgeois democratic revolution. Therefore, it must establish a united front with the progressive bourgeoisie and turn the parliament into a people's Tools for the fight for socialism. Therefore, the country's CP joined the ruling coalition early and took power through Western-style democratic elections.
The situation of the People's Liberation Front is more complicated. It was born out of the CP, but it was more radical in a certain period of time. Before the 1990s, the main program of the People's Front was to seize power through armed struggle and realize the people's democratic dictatorship. From this point of view, it is a pity that the People's Front is not called CP.
The founder of the People¡¯s Front, Rohana Wijeweera, studied in the former Soviet Union, but he was dissatisfied with the Soviet model. He believed that corruption was serious and the system was relatively rigid. Although the Soviet Union was large, it would be finished sooner or later. So the PFLP began to absorb some of Guevara's "one revolution" theory and the Maoist theory from China, and gradually made armed struggle its first priority.
When Lai Zhenping went to Sri Lanka, a very important task was to help Sri Lanka solve the problem of civil strife. After all, as an "advanced socialist country" and the birthplace of many red revolutions, the CPC is also quite influential on the People's Front. Lai Zhenping met with Rohana Wijeweera, extended greetings and expressed the hope that Sri Lanka can complete political reconciliation and choose a model of communication, understanding and tolerance to develop and build its own country.
In this matter, Lai Zhenping once again achieved a beautiful balance. He came to Sri Lanka with a large amount of military aid, and at the same time he also wanted to gain an international reputation for China in mediating conflicts this time. Although China claims not to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, its active participation in international affairs and maintenance of peace are obviously contrary to this principle. So whatever you do, it all happens in one thought.
Lai Zhenping told the Sri Lankan government, I have come with military aid. If you want, you must accept our reconciliation terms, reach a ceasefire agreement with the People's Front, and no longer hold the People's Front accountable, and accept the People's Front into the ruling coalition. If the Sri Lankan official does not agree, then such a large amount of military aid will naturally come to nothing.
Lai Zhenping also told the PFLP that when I came with military aid, I must see the hostility between the two parties turn into friendship. If the PFLP did not agree to lay down their weapons and stop the armed struggle, then I would bring the military aid. If the aid is quickly transferred to the government troops, then the PFLP will fall extremely quickly.
Rohana Wijevira was naturally unable to handle such a complicated situation, so he could only agree to Lai Zhenping's conditions. However, Wijeweera also made many theoretical questions, such as why China gave up its strategy of supporting the armed struggle of red forces in other countries, and how to take the socialist path that is truly suitable for Sri Lanka.
Naturally, Lai Zhenping could not answer him one by one, but he was prepared. He gave Vijayvera some English anthologies and said to him: "This is a very influential and talented theoretical worker in our party who is focusing on the current situation." The explanation of the development of the world communist movement and the true meaning of socialism in different stages has become a must-read material for our CPC members, and I hope it will be helpful to the People¡¯s Front.¡±
Wijevira felt like he had found a treasure, holding the stack of books like a country boy who was given the Nine Yins Manual, the Eighteen Palms of the Dragon, etc. Everyone respected the red theory that completed these books and hurriedly read the books. Person¡ª¡ªQi Jingren.
Lai Zhenping helped Sri Lanka put an end to the war and brought a large number of weapons. This made the Sri Lankan officials flock to him and treat him like a distinguished guest. Not only did they give him extraordinary courtesy and basically everything they could, but they also praised China internationally. A staunch force for maintaining world peace and stability and a responsible world power.
"Compared with the military aid to Pakistan and Myanmar, the military aid to Sri Lanka is actually much lower in value. Despite this, the amount is staggering. pLAO retired 200,000 Type 56 and Type 81 automatic rifles, as well as a series of China's retired light weapons that have not yet reached the end of their lifespan, with tens of millions of rounds of ammunition; various types of howitzers and cannons manufactured before the 1980s , more than 300 anti-aircraft guns; more than 200 Type 59 tanks and Type 63 amphibious armored transport vehicles that have also been retired and have not been disposed of by the crushing crane; 2 have not been recovered by the crushing crane. fighter-interceptor aircraft.
Although all of these equipment are second-hand equipment, the total value together is quite a lot. In addition, there is a difference between closeness and distance. Pakistan is an ally that Qi Yiming worked hard to cultivate, let alone Myanmar. It is actually a puppet state, and the wealth does not flow to outsiders. Sri Lanka naturally needs to be managed carefully, but paying a large price in one go will not only shock the world about how China can be so rich, but also create the impression that China is taken advantage of.
Of course, Lai Zhenping cannot be just a philanthropist. In fact, he also made a request for a port in Sri Lanka just like Pakistan. China wants to take over the Hambantota Port in southern Sri Lanka, following Pakistan's old example, and obtain the right to operate the port there for two years, as well as military stationing rights. Naturally, China is not as domineering as some Western countries. China has no interest in establishing a concession on other people's land and creating a state within a state. For example, the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries like to play this trick in other countries. They have to take away extraterritoriality and so on, which makes some countries unable to punish foreign criminals on their own soil.
China's actions have naturally aroused strong dissatisfaction and backlash from India. China has already made a hole in Pakistan before, and now it wants to make another hole in Sri Lanka. India suddenly feels that its surroundings have become unsafe. If the Chinese navy really After stationing in Gwadar and Hambantota ports, the Indian Navy will not be able to dominate the Indian Ocean at all. When encountering China, which is far stronger than India, it can only be a tortoise.
At this time, India still had troops in Sri Lanka, which helped Sri Lanka offset most of the crisis. Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi threatened Sri Lanka that if Sri Lanka agreed to open Hambantota Port to China, the relationship between the two countries would be damaged, and India would not We will continue to help Sri Lanka maintain peace in the northern region.
Not to be outdone, Lai Zhenping immediately met with Sri Lankan officials and said: "Where can there be peace in the Northern Province? India's incompetent peacekeeping forces have not been able to completely eradicate the LTTE until now, and the ill-disciplined Indian army has repeatedly committed human rights violations there. The local Women are raped and property is robbed, which will make the residents there hate the official government even more."
Then Lai Zhenping rolled his eyes again and made a suggestion: "If India really withdraws, I don't think it will be a big problem. I know a very powerful private security company in the world that can handle such a situation at a low cost." It won¡¯t be particularly high. For my sake, I can give Sri Lanka a half discount and take care of the Tigers to destroy this group of terrorists.¡±
Sri Lankan officials were also shocked, "You mean, mercenaries?"