summer27 Posted November 28, 2012 Report Posted November 28, 2012 [b] Male ire on GMR project: Is there a China angle to it?[/b] [font=Georgia, Times,][size=4] The Maldivian government has cited national interest as a reason for scrapping GMR’s airport project in the scenic island country.[/size][/font][font=Georgia, Times,][size=4] Is it on national interest or on a Chinese interest? There are indications that it could rather be the latter, given the Communist country’s keenness on having a foothold in the Indian Ocean.[/size][/font][font=Georgia, Times,][size=4] A recent indication of the Chinese interest in the Indian Ocean is its Defence Minister General Liang Guanglie’s extensive tour of Sri Lanka in September.[/size][/font][size=3] [url="http://www.firstpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/GMR.jpg"][img]http://www.firstpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/GMR.jpg[/img][/url][color=white][size=3] Reuters[/size][/color][/size][font=Georgia, Times,][size=4] During his visit, he doled out $100 million to Sri Lanka to improve their military’s “infrastructure and logistics equipment”, according to a[i]Washington Times[/i] [url="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/sep/5/inside-china-indian-ocean-fortress/?page=all"]report[/url].[/size][/font][font=Georgia, Times,][size=4] He even conducted impromptu class at Sri Lanka’s National Defense University.[/size][/font][font=Georgia, Times,][size=4] China has invested heavily in setting up military bases and naval ports in Sri Lanka, the report says.[/size][/font][font=Georgia, Times,][size=4] China may even be keen on a possible presence of People’s Liberation Army there. The move is aimed at essentially challenging India’s dominance in the Indian Ocean, the report said.[/size][/font][font=Georgia, Times,][size=4] Returning to l’affaire GMR, a [url="http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?283055"]report[/url] in [i]Outlook[/i] magazine over the weekend quotes pro-India politicians there as as saying that the step has been taken at the insistence of a pro-China lobby in the government.[/size][/font][font=Georgia, Times,][size=4] According to the unnamed inside sources quoted in the report, a few elements in the Maldivian government want to push out the Indian company and rope in a Chinese firm instead.[/size][/font][font=Georgia, Times,][size=4] Chinese companies are also eyeing the Gan International Airport in Addu Atoll in the Maldives and another one closer to the borders on Lakshadweep.[/size][/font][font=Georgia, Times,][size=4] The mutual distrust between India and China has been growing in the Maldives. Much to the chagrin of the Indian government, the Maldivian government had allotted a key plot of land near the Indian High Commission in Male to China, the Outlook report says.[/size][/font][font=Georgia, Times,][size=4] The Chinese government is planning to build its embassy there.[/size][/font][font=Georgia, Times,][size=4] Another view is that the GMR issue has been raked up with an eye to gain political mileage by the Mohammed Waheed Hassan government. The elections are due in 2013.[/size][/font][font=Georgia, Times,][size=4] Hassan had removed former President Mohamed Nasheed in coup-like operation in February this year.[/size][/font][font=Georgia, Times,][size=4] Whatever the reason is, it is an embarrassing situation for GMR, which has been in the eye of a storm in India after the Comptroller and Auditor General’s scathing report that questioned the “undue favours” shown to the company[i].[/i][/size][/font][font=Georgia, Times,][size=4] It has already invested $250 million in the $500 million Maldives project.[/size][/font][font=Georgia, Times,][size=4] The only hope for the company seems to be a speedier arbitration in Singapore, which it has already sought.[/size][/font]
JAPAN Posted November 28, 2012 Report Posted November 28, 2012 simple ga rendu mukkallo cheppu baa.......
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