Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse should try and obtain maximum gains from the Indian government during his trip to New Delhi. The world and almost the entire Tamil population in it will be monitoring the Sri Lankan president's gestures and utterances very closely. At stake in his country is the well-being and rehabilitation of nearly 300,000 people, mostly Tamils, who have been displaced by the bloody conflict against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which claimed thousands of lives.
An estimated 70,000-80,000 of these continue to live in pathetic conditions and the onus falls on Rajapakse as president to ensure their well-being. The Sri Lankan government has announced that almost all refugees will be re-settled into Sri Lankan society by the end of August and the relief camps will thereafter be shut down, hopefully for good.
Rajapakse will have realised that there are certain quarters in India who take the Tamil question seriously, as well they should. Pressure exerted from these sections will also be directed at the Indian government to address the welfare of the Tamils with the visiting president.
The emphasis should be on reconciliation. Sri Lanka cannot afford to have simmering discontent following a period of extreme violence and discontent amongst its people.