Devolution

20 June 2011,The Communist Party of India (CPI) in its National Council Meeting at New Delhi on 18-19 June, passed a resolution, demanding the Indian government to take into account the resolution passed by the Tamil Nadu State Assembly on war crimes investigation and economic sanctions against Sri Lanka. Accusing Sri Lanka Army for violation […]

19 June 201165 percent of the participants in an opinion poll conducted in Tamil Nadu this month by Centre for Public Studies of the Loyola College in Chennai said that an independent Tamil Eelam is the appropriate permanent solution for the question of Tamils in the island of Sri Lanka. 70 percent of them said […]

Political reforms should be urgently introduced with further possible delineation of powers to the Provinces by transferring some of the itemsfrom the Concurrent List to the Provincial List as per the aspirations of thepeople, especially the Sri Lankan Tamil Community. Relavent section of the Memorandum submitted by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Selvi J. Jayalalithaa to […]

15 June 2011 /By Yohan PereraThe government decision to appoint a Parliamentary Select Committee to work out a political solution to the national question is a ploy adopted to overcome international pressure, UNP parliamentarian R. Yogaranjan charged today.He said this was his personal view though it was backed by his party. Mr. Yogarajan called for […]

14 June 2011/ By Col R HariharanRecently there had been a series of seemingly disconnected events in India, UK and the UN that have a common thread: Sri Lankas conduct in the post war period.Though these events were not unexpected sequels, surprisingly Sri Lankas response had been reactive than proactive. Peevishness, rather than calculated strategy, […]

 V. Anandasangaree, D. Sitharthan and T. Sritharan met the Indian Delegation at the India House on 11th Saturday at 11.30 hrs and the TULF Leader submitted a memorandum, the contents of which are as follows:- Without allowing things to go out of control, the delegates should explore the possibilities of persuading the Government to agree […]

Creating waves on her first visit to the national capital after her landslide victory, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister arrived here on a two-day visit, ostensibly to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to discuss problems concerning her state.However, within two hours of her landing here, the chief minister made it a politically high-profile visit as she […]

| IANS –  Jun 13, 2011 New Delhi, June 13 (IANS) Sri Lanka is treating people in its Tamil-majority northeast as ‘aborigines’, a Tamil delegation told a team of Indian officials in Colombo. ‘It is very unfortunate that the (Sri Lankan) government does not allow people and officials of the north and east to manage their […]

Sutirtho Patranobis,/ June 11, 2011     India has conveyed to Sri Lanka that it was up to the island nation’s government to change the 13th Amendment to bring in a suitable political resolution that will enable all communities in the country to live together. The 13th Amendment to the Lankan Constitution was made in 1987 as […]

R. K. RadhakrishnanTaking into consideration “the tendency of the major Opposition parties to blame the government for all problems,” Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance have lobbed the ball back at the Opposition on what kind of autonomy the Northern Province should get.Mr. Rajapaksa had earlier stated that he […]

11 June 2011 Visiting Indian National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon said that it is up to the Sri Lankan government to find a political solution which it is comfortable with and India is not interfering in the matter.Mr. Menon stated that India would refrain from interfering in the matter which was “up to the Sri […]

Colombo, June 12Sri Lanka has told India it will not concede key land and police powers to provincial councils under a New Delhi-initiated political plan aimed at resolving the long-drawn Tamil issue, a media report said today, warning that it could bring the two sides on ”a collision course.” President Mahinda Rajapaksa told a visiting […]

Devananda advocates Select CommitteeTraditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development Minister and General Secretary of the Eelam People’s Democratic Party, Douglas Devananda presented a proposal to President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the visiting Indian delegation that a Parliamentary Select Committee be appointed to find a speedy solution to the national question in the country.Minister Devananda has proposed […]

President conveys decision to Indian officials, collision course fearedBy Our Diplomatic EditorPresident Mahinda Rajapaksa told a high-powered Indian delegation yesterday his government was not able to concede land and police powers to provincial councils in accordance with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.The move, the Sunday Times learns, follows strong opposition from constituent partners of […]

Tamil Nadu Assembly today adopted a unanimous resolution seeking imposition of economic sanctions against Sri Lanka by India on issues concerning Tamils in the island nation, including alleged human rights violations.The resolution moved by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa also wanted India to press the United Nations to declare as “war criminals” those who committed alleged crimes […]

By Mandana Ismail Abeywickrema The major Muslim party in the country, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) says that any political solution to the ethnic issue should be acceptable to the Muslim community. Some Muslims have claimed that various solutions proposed to solve the ethnic issue have so far failed due to the non-inclusion of the […]

May 29 / by Rajan PhilipsLast Sunday’s editorials and commentaries were pre-occupied with the Joint Statement from Delhi following delegate-level discussions between External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris and his Indian counterpart, S.M. Krishna. As a visiting dignitary, Peiris also had an audience with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and met with Foreign Secretary NirupamaRao and National […]

The joint statement is a good point of departure. Nonetheless, the two governments should have prepared a kind of road map with a definite time-frame so that both countries can minimise the internal pressure coming from its own population as well as the pressure on Sri Lanka emanating from the Western imperialist countries and the […]

29 May 2011India could do much better by acknowledging the right to independence of Eezham Tamils, by working for international consensus towards it, by structuring an IC-facilitated transition arrangement for it, and by creating an environment for the diaspora to freely interact through Palaali and Trincomalee, for India’s own reconciliation with Tamils and for relieving […]

Hegemonic nationalists oppose any devolution. They assert that any relaxation of direct control or authority introduces the possibility of secession. But safeguards can be put in place both constitutionally and administratively. This problem has to be addressed but it is no fundamental ground for rejecting devolution. The removal of the concurrent list is not enough. […]

By a Special CorrespondentThe leader of the Patriotic National Movement (PNM) Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekera says that the onus is on the government to hold an inquiry and ascertain the truth regarding the alleged political asylum provided by the Norwegian Embassy to 12 suspected LTTE cadres.13-1The veteran political analyst said that the alleged incident has not […]

May 25, 2011,By Franklin R. SatyapalanThe Tamil National Alliance (TNA) left the sixth round of Bi-partisan talks, with the government yesterday, disappointed as the latter had once again not responded to its draft on devolution, TNA sources said.TNA Parliamentarian M. A. Sumanthiran said: At every meeting we have been waiting for the government to announce […]

24 May 2011 15:33The Leader of the JVP Somsawansa Amarasinghe participated at the 5th Asia Riches Forum held in San Men Xia city in China from 18th – 20th May 2011where he made the keynote address .Addressing the Forum where leaders of the Communist Party of China in Hunan Province too were present Mr. Amarasinghe […]

24 May 2011 / By Kelum BandaraThe Tamil National Alliance (TNA) will request Russia and China to urge the Sri Lankan government to work out a long lasting political solution to the national question, parliamentarian and party media spokesman Suresh Premachandran said yesterday.Russia and China supported Sri Lanka in its war against terrorism and as […]

The government should try to establish a mainstream Tamil political leadership in the North and East. Norway has played a sincere and genuine role in bringing about peace during the CFA period Sri Lanka should invite the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Ms. Jayalalithaa to Sri Lanka and explain the reality. By Arthur WamananSri Lanka should […]

By Chris KamalendranTwo separate fronts are set to launch protest campaigns against Indian pressure on the Sri Lanka government to amend the Constitution, probe human rights abuses and finalise Indian commercial projects in the country.The pro-government Patriotic National Movement (PNM) and the opposition Jathika Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) have decided to campaign against the joint agreement […]

No peace dividend; no political solution: the post-war conduct of the Rajapaksas indicate a mindset unresponsive to voluntary internal reforms, be it on devolution, good governance or human rights. This leaves us with a conundrum – is external pressure the only way Sri Lanka can be prevented from remaking old mistakes and retrogressing into past-nightmares? […]

20 May 2011 Whenever there is a proper foreign policy coupled with professional diplomats, all these problems can be handled without any harm to the country. Unfortunately, we lack it today. Q : In the event of the release of the UN report and Sri Lanka involved in a diplomatic crisis, how will the JVP […]

16 May 2011The Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP), an ally of the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) has renewed its call for the abolition of the concurrent list in the 13th Amendment and for the establishment of a senate or second chamber as part of a solution to the national question.Minister and EPDP Leader […]

Delegation postpones visit as New Delhi tells Lanka to respond positively to UN panel reportBy Our Political Editor India is to ask Sri Lanka to implement the 13th Amendment to the Constitution giving full land and police powers to provincial councils as part of measures to address Tamil grievances. The move comes as the government […]