Look. This is what I think has happened:
a) Sri Lankan guy meets Indian (centre) guy and says look, I know you don't want to incorporate territories or anything and we want to kick the c**p out of them. Let's come to a permanent settlement and these are the things we wish to offer:
1) MOST IMPORTANT: A settlement for the Tamils that is agreeable to you and implemented with your blessings
2) A port in the place up for money that we can use to buy weapons and kick them with
b) Indian guys says no chance- we can't be SEEN financing the damn port with which you'll be kickng them with.
They take point 1 forward: The future of Tamils will be decided not in Sri Lanka but India. KK's approval is needed so they put together a team and KK + some non seperatist Tamils from SL+ Indian diplomatic staff+ SL diplomatic staff put together the terms of settlement- effectively we decide the future of that country. Rajapakse etc. agree and give excellent concessions at least on paper. Meanwhile chinese say they want the port and build a 'naval' base- we say no way go take a hike. Haggling and chinese finally agree to a 'refuelling' point to fill up the tanks.
d) operations start and a mysertious silence descends upon KK and gang, so does it on the Indian diplomatic establishment (of course some appropriate grumbling is made). The SL boys while kicking the c**p out of the LTTE aren't going TOO wayward or revengeful coz India is keeping a close watch and will muscle in if anything goes off track. Rajapakse tries his best to keep his terms- by most standards the SL operation doesn't seem to have been as violent as it could have been
c) Operation ends. General (Fonseka) starts felling 'oh I'm such a big deal I kicked the LTTE out n all' and decides to put in barracks in the cleared areas. This goes against settlements with India and hence is a litmus test for Rajapakse- can he deliver on what he promised on paper? He promptly stands up to Fonseka, fires him from his job and then after elections puts him under arrest indicating that the settlements will remain.
d) India, trying to make sure that the chinese stick only to refuelling asks for a diplomatic mission and SL agrees
We get our influence in the constitution, body politic and fabric of SL society for the next 100 Years. What difference does it make if the chinese have the option of filling up their tanks once in a while? Every single election in SL will have tamils voting, that's our real security. We changed and directed their constitution that's OUR achievement and no 'naval base' can ever match that. In all this, I still don't understand what Pak is supposed to get? Why were they there to start with?
All countrries are now 'all weather' friends of each other whether they get helps or not, doesn't matters. 
