SL Prez holds all-party meet on autonomy demand by Tamils

Colombo, December 14

An all-party meeting convened by President Ranil Wickremesinghe has discussed the 13th Amendment to Sri Lanka’s constitution as mooted by India to resolve the long-standing demand for political autonomy for the minority Tamils in the island nation, political leaders said on Wednesday.

The Tamil parties which participated in the meeting on Tuesday urged the government to hold the northern provincial council election.

“The 13A is already a part of the constitution and it is a point that most parties agreed to,” Tamil Progressive Alliance (TNA) leader Mano Ganesan said.

Ganesan, who represents mostly the Western province-based Tamils of Indian origin, said President Wickremesinghe has asked him to forward proposals on the 13A issue on behalf of the hill country Tamil community or the Tamils of Indian origin.

Ganesan said President Wickremesinghe, main opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and former president Mahinda Rajapaksa were all in agreement with implementing the 13A.

He urged the government to hold provincial council elections in the northern and eastern provinces so as to give people an idea of self-governance with the full implementation of 13A.

CV Wigneswaran, former chief minister of the Northern province, said ensuring the councils to have already defined powers which have been denied to the provinces was discussed in the all-party meeting.

“We raised the issue of land grabbing by the state. They are taking over lands under government departments. This must stop and the land rights must be given to the provincial councils,” Wigneswaran said.

He said other issues concerning the Tamil minority and the release of political prisoners held under the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) were also discussed in the meeting.

President Wickremesinghe had called Tuesday’s All Party Conference in a bid to arrive at a consensus on the Tamil minority’s demand for political autonomy.

President Wickremesinghe had said he was keen to announce a settlement of the issue by February 4 of next year, coinciding with Sri Lanka’s 75th anniversary of Independence.

“We have very little time so we can’t afford to go back and start all over again,” Ganesan stressed. — PTI

The 13th amendment

• The 13A, already a part of the constitution, provides for devolution of power to the Tamil community
• India has been pressing Sri Lanka to implement the 13th Amendment brought in 1987

Land-grabbing must stop: Wigneswaran

We raised the issue of land-grabbing by the state. They are taking over land under government. This must stop. — CV Wigneswaran, former northern province CM