[Marxistindia] on Srilanka Situation, Israeli Satellite Launch & Trilateral Naval Exercise

[news from the cpi(m)]

                                                          April 24, 2009


Press Statement


                        On Sri Lankan Situation


The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) expresses its deep concern at the plight
of the thousands of Tamil civilians who are trapped in the war zone in
northern Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan government should heed the call of
the UN Security Council and take urgent measures, including cessation of
hostilities, to rescue civilians who are being forcibly held by the
LTTE. The Sri Lankan government should allow relief agencies, including
the Red Cross, to access the war zone.


The CPI(M) considers the saving of the lives of the civilian population
as of paramount concern. The LTTE should stop its futile resistance. 


The government of India has to impress upon the Sri Lankan government
that it cannot carry on military hostilities in a situation where the
lives of thousands of people are at stake.


                        Israeli Satellite Launch


The Congress-led government has been surreptitiously forging a deep
security and military collaboration with Israel. The launching of
Israeli spy satellites is just one aspect of this collaboration which is
part of the overall India-Israel-US axis. The launch of an Israeli-made
spy satellite and the trilateral joint naval exercises off the coast of
Japan are the two latest instances.


The Israeli-made satellite, RISAT-2, launched by ISRO on April 20 has
raised many questions. It may be recalled that in January 2008, ISRO had
launched an Israeli satellite TECSAR which the Israelis are using for
surveillance of their neighbouring countries.


At that time, the UPA government refused to confirm what is widely known
that India had entered into an agreement with Israel for the launch of
three of its spy satellites. 


The RISAT-2 satellite has been made by the Israel Aerospace Industries
(IAI) which has been given a Rs. 10,000 crore contract for missile
production recently. 


The RISAT-2 satellite has been parked in the same orbit of 41 degree
inclination as the earlier TECSAR satellite which is being used by
Israel for surveillance of the Middle-East, including Iran. It has the
SAR technology used in TECSAR.


The Manmohan Singh government cannot obfuscate the issue. It must answer
clearly :



     1. Is this launch part of the agreement arrived at with Israel for
        launching its three spy satellites?
        
     2. The government claims that RISAT-2 is meant for surveillance of
        our borders but then why is this satellite in the same orbit as
        the earlier Israeli TECSAR satellite? 
        
     3. Is the launching of the RISAT-2 a joint venture which involves
        sharing intelligence with Israel?
        



                       Trilateral Naval Exercise


A joint navel exercise with the Indian-US-Japanese navies will be held
of the coast of Okinawa in Japan in the end of April. This is part of
the ongoing efforts by the United States to have a trilateral military
cooperation with India and Japan. In 2007 too, such a trilateral
exercise was held.


The Manmohan Singh government has, through the Defence Framework
Agreement, opened the way for India to be coopted into the US military
strategy in Asia. The CPI(M) strongly opposes such moves to make India
an appendage to the Pentagon's military strategy in Asia. The
Congress-led government has betrayed the country's sovereign interests
and an independent foreign policy. It is essential that the new
government formed after the election reverses this course.