Many people remember February 14 as “Lovers’ Day.” In previous years, however, February 14th had a strange value that exceeded the day of lovers, as Katunayake and the surrounding residents discovered. The reason for this was that security around the airport had been increased for two or three days and had reached its peak by the 14th.
Generally, the security of the airport and the surrounding road is tightened for the arrival or departure of a foreign dignitary in the country. But on the last Valentine’s Day, Katunayake Airport and its surrounding roads were given unprecedented security. But no media reported that any dignitary came. That evening, the Katunayake-Colombo highway was also closed and security was tightened at the airport and its surroundings. While the preparations in Sri Lanka were going like this, two modern Globe Master C17 airplanes belonging to the American Air Force took off from an American base in Greece. As previously arranged, the two planes arrived at Katunayake airport one after the other at nightfall on the 14th.
Although Katunayake is a civil airport, the Sri Lanka Air Force base is located next to it. Therefore, the arrival of military planes to Katunayake is not strange at all. But the two military planes that arrived here were landed under special conditions than the military or civilian planes that used to come here and the passengers were not subject to any immigration law. The people from the two planes who came here mysteriously entered Colombo city through the highway that was closed to the general public and they met President Ranil Wickramasinghe, Minister of State for Defense Pramitha Bandara Thennakone and Defense Secretary retired Major General Kamal Gunaratne.
Inquiries about these Americans began to pour in from all sides. The JVP. questioned in Parliament, and the leader of Pivithuru Hela Urumya, Udaya Gammanpila, also inquired about the group of Americans who arrived mysteriously. The government, however, did not respond. When a journalist asked about the American representatives who arrived secretly, President Ranil Wickremesinghe avoided the question by asking to offer President Joe Biden’s phone number.
American Ambassador Julie Chang, who attends funerals and have press conferences about that , said nothing about the visitors who entered the country illegally. India, the region’s big brother, was also maintain a deafeningly silent. When the facts were like this, a hint came out from the government side about the American representatives, as Jedidiah P. Royal, the United States Deputy Chief of Defence Secretary for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, was among those who came. The government stated that a delegation of 27 people accompanied him to Sri Lanka, but neither the government nor the American embassy stated who they were or why they came.
IMF Debts, local government elections and the Sinhala-Hindu New Year made us forget the trip of the American delegation in two months. But recently, it became clear to everyone that the big brother of the region had not completely forgotten this incident even though he was pretending deaf. That was after a person named Major Madan Kumar released a YouTube video. Major Madan Kumar, a researcher in geopolitics and strategic studies, has demonstrated genuine brilliance in several areas of higher education and defense in India. He reveals many facts about the arrival of the American delegation to Sri Lanka that were previously unpublished.
The American delegation that unexpectedly arrived in Sri Lanka, according to Major Madan Kumar, is a group of top security officials. Although the US and Sri Lankan governments did not reveal his identity, William Joseph Burns was among those present. Even though we ignore him in Sri Lanka, William Joseph Burns is as valuable a character to many countries as the American president. According to Wikipedia, he is an American diplomat who serves as the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
William Joseph Burns is America’s eighth C.I.A. director. On March 19, 2021, he took the oath of office in front of Kamala Harris and became one of the most powerful people in America. The C.I.A. is capable of spying on and manipulating many governments around the world on an unofficial level. Anyone who understands international geopolitics knows that the organisation is capable of manipulating the US government at times.
Nobody knows what discussions the C.I.A. delegation had in Sri Lanka with the Sri Lankan leaders or what decisions were made during those discussions. Major Madan Kumar, on the other hand, says something significant about the discussions between American representatives and the Sri Lankan government. During this visit, he claims that three important agreements were reached between American representatives and Sri Lankan officials. The first is to set up an intelligence analysis centre.
The second is the donation of a biometric information unit for the immigration and emigration functions in Sri Lanka. The third project is to build a submarine and an IT cable network across Sri Lanka’s maritime zone. Major Madan Kumar conducts these analyses by carefully analysing information obtained from current international and security information analysis.
All these agreements go beyond normal diplomatic relations. He says that the installation of an American biometric immigration information system in Sri Lanka is a direct submission of Sri Lanka to the American intelligence service. By doing so, the data of people coming to and leaving the country is provided to the CIA. He points out that the organization will be available. In the face of the world power struggle, a cold war is now taking place between the United States and China, which is more severe than the competition between the United States and Russia some time ago.
In the face of such a situation, it is no secret that the United States considers it important to obtain information about Chinese activities in any country in the world. Therefore, if someone says that the US aims to conduct a study of Chinese activities in Sri Lanka through the proposed Biometric Immigration and Emigration Unit, we cannot deny it. Two defense cooperation agreements between the United States and Sri Lanka have already been signed, namely the Acquisition and Cross-Services Agreement (ACSA) and the Negotiated Forces Agreement (SOFA). Both these agreements have been heavily criticized. In such a background, it is normal for people to have doubts about the discussion with these high American representatives.
Although India is waiting for the US security delegation to visit Sri Lanka, it is unconcerned about the establishment of direct relations between the US and Sri Lanka. Keeping this in mind, we should resist the temptation to accept Major Madan Kumar’s video as his sole statement. Sri Lanka is still involved in the world power struggle being waged by India, China, and the United States. It goes without saying that Sri Lanka’s involvement in a pivotal conflict in global geopolitics will be disastrous for the country.
We should not forget how China worked to push Sri Lanka into the depths of the crisis by delaying the International Monetary Fund’s financial facility by seven to eight months. In the end, given the United States’ veto power in the International Monetary Fund and India’s veto power in the G-20 organisation, China took a step back and allowed Sri Lanka to clear the hurdle, but this could change in a flash.
We have to balance China and the US very carefully in the current tense political situation. The group of American representatives who arrived in Sri Lanka on the 14th of February were supposed to land in Nepal on their way back and stay there for about 12 hours before going to their destination. But the Nepalese government closed the door to the American representatives. Even then, a Chinese diplomat visited Nepal and Nepal has a direct border with China.
By Aruna Luxman Fernanndo
Who is Major Madan Kumar?
Major Madan Kumar is an engineering graduate from Madras University and a post graduate from Jamshedpur. Although he started his education with the aim of becoming a doctor, he eventually graduated as a textile engineer. He has held various leadership roles in world renowned companies like Coca Cola, Pepsi, Nestle India and Mars Wrigley Confectionery. Madan Kumar is a researcher in geopolitics and strategic studies, having completed leadership certificates from Mass University.
He has his own YouTube channel focused on homeland security and geopolitics. He is a visiting lecturer and consultant in the Department of Defense Studies and Strategic Studies for recognized universities in Tamil Nadu. He is the co-founder of ‘Armor of Care’, a volunteer force that helps various state governments in disaster and crisis management. He is also the founder of Dream of Defence, a voluntary organization that guides India’s youth towards a career in defense and civil services. Having served in the Indian Army for a while, he is currently a distinguished columnist, international political and security analyst.
