Who is Anura Kumara Dissanayake?  Is he Pro China or Pro India

Who is Anura Kumara Dissanayake?  Is he Pro China or Pro India

Elected as the 10th President of Srilanka who took oath today he regards Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara as one of his heroes, according to an Al Jazeera report.

He is known for his pro-China leanings. Some of his public statements and decisions didn’t seem to favour India’s interests.

The President-elect did not support the implementation of the 13th amendment of the Sri Lankan Constitution, which devolves powers to the country’s Tamil minority, something that has been a long-standing demand of India.

Dissanayake’s party – Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) – is known for its anti-India and pro-China leaning. Party’s founding leader, the late Rohana Wijeweera, has spoken about what he called ‘Indian expansionism’ in the 1980’s and even portrayed India as an ‘enemy’ of Sri Lankan interests, according to media reports.

JVP opposed the Indo-Lanka accord of 1987. The accord was signed by then president of Sri Lanka JR Jayewardene and Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi.

he has also opposed any investigation into the alleged war crimes committed during the civil war between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and Sri Lankan forces.

In recent months, newly elected president spoke about cancelling Gautam Adani’s 450 MW wind power project in Sri Lanka if elected. He described the agreement as ‘corrupt’ and skewed against the Sri Lanka’s interests.

However, as noted by a Times of India report, while there is speculation that new president may pursue closer relations with Beijing, he recently stated that he would not permit anyone to utilise Sri Lanka’s sea, land, and airspace to pose a threat to India, which is crucial for New Delhi’s security interests.