Editor’s Pick: India plays it safe

The Hindu Newsletter - The Hindu Newsletter - Editor's Pick [The Hindu Logo]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Youtube]( [Linkedin]( [Instagram]( Wednesday 24, March 2021 [alt_text]( Editor's Pick India plays it safe on Sri Lanka vote [alt_text]( (The Editor's Pick is a new newsletter from The Hindu that provides a snapshot of the most important stories from today's edition of our newspaper, along with a note from our top editors on why we chose to give prominence to these stories.) The UNHRC had moved seven previous [resolutions against Sri Lanka]( since ther end of the war with the LTTE nearly 12 years ago. While Sri Lanka has on occasion been a co-sponsor of the resolution, meaning that it has agreed to facilitate and cooperate with investigations into evidence of war crimes committed in the country, the Rajapaksa dispensation has long seen such efforts by the UN as ‘unwanted foreign interference’. Sri Lanka had deemed the current resolution “politically motivated” and was quick to reject the UN move. “Without the consent and acceptance of the country concerned, it cannot be implemented,” [Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said](at a media conference in Colombo. The money allocated — an estimated $2.8 million — for the effort would find better use towards providing housing for the war-affected people, the Minister said, even as scores of Tamils continue seeking their lands, new homes and jobs from his government. Ahead of the vote, both the government of Sri Lanka and the [Tamil National Alliance]((TNA), which sought the exact opposite outcomes on the resolution, had expressed hopes of obtaining India’s support. Both sides appeared sympathetic to India’s abstention that effectively amounts to support for neither party. However, in an indication that Sri Lanka had construed abstentions as support, Mr. Gunawardena in a tweet thanked the 14 countries, including India, Japan and Nepal, that abstained from voting. On the other hand, welcoming the Council’s adoption of the resolution, the TNA said India must have decided to abstain after “careful consideration” of various factors. The [move to abstain by India](leaves a host of questions. Does it go any way to making a difference in the resolution of the Tamil question? How will it shape India-Sri Lanka relations going forward and what can be read into the growing influence of China, one of the countries which opposed the vote, in Sri Lanka. We discussed the UNHRC vote and its implications in two episodes of The Hindu In Focus Podcast with our Colombo correspondent Meera Srinivasan which you can listen to here ([1](, [2](). This is a story with many dimensions and that marks it out as our top pick of the day. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor's Pick and more. [Click here]( Try out The Hindu's daily news quiz At the 67th National Film Awards, the best actor award was shared by Manoj Bajpai (for the film Bhonsle) and Dhanush for which film? 1. Asuran 2. Super Deluxe 3. Viswasam 4. Maari 2 To find out the answer and play the full quiz, [click here]( The Big Story [Coronavirus | All over 45 to get COVID-19 vaccination jab from April 1]( [alt_text]( From the Front Page [alt_text]( [Loan moratorium case | SC: Refund penal interest on EMIs]( [alt_text]( [India abstains in UNHRC vote on Sri Lanka]( From the Opinion Pages [alt_text]( [The absent programme at the Kerala hustings]( [alt_text]( [The surge of geopolitics in South Asia’s power trade]( Today's Editorials [On allegation](s against Maharashtra Home Minister [Corrective voice: On SC]( and judicial patriarchy You are receiving this email because you are a user of [thehindu.com]( If you do not wish to receive any such emails, [unsubscribe here.](mailto:rm-0bfaugq2bf2f90kaup33rtbysa8hk56@newsalert.thehindu.com?subject=Unsubscribe&body=You will be unsubscribed from our mailing list.) To ensure you continue to receive emails from The Hindu in your inbox, please add newsletters.th@newsalert.thehindu.com to your contact. If you can't see the mailer, please [click here.]( Group Sites [The Hindu]( | [இந்து தமிழ் திசை]( | [Business Line]( | [BL on Campus]( | [Sportstar]( | [Frontline]( | [The Hindu Centre]( | [Images]( | [roofandfloor]( | [Classifieds]( Copyright @ 2021 ,THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. [About Us]( | [Contact Us]( | [Digital Subscription](