Devolution

Seeking India’s pro-active role in addressing the Sri Lankan Tamils issue, CPI today said it will organise a nationwide solidarity day tomorrow to highlight the sufferings of the ethnic minority in the island.Even two years after the war ended in Sri Lanka, the Tamils were “suffering” in camps with “no rehabilitation”, CPI National Secretary D […]

The island nation should abide by its promise to meet the legitimate aspirations of its Tamil population. The Sri Lankan President, Mr Mahinda Rajapakse, seems to be having second thoughts on his past assurances.July 7, 2011/ by G.PARTHASARATHYWhen the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Ms J Jayalalithaa, paid her first visit to New Delhi after assuming […]

06 July 2011 06:40The Indian government cannot remain insensitive to the sentiments expressed by the Tamil Nadu government, the Tamil Nadu people and politicians about issues affecting the Tamil-speaking people in Sri Lanka,Indian foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao told journalists. “That is something you have to understand. It will always be there and I think you […]

A gang of SLFP ministers and parliamentarians, including presidential sibling Basil Rajapaksa were camping in Jaffna last weekend to plan and campaign for the forthcoming civic elections to the town and village councils scheduled to take place in the north on 23 July. Their meetings were also participated by occupying Sri Lanka’s colonial governor Maj. […]

What President Rajapakse and his brothers – the real government – need at this time are friends – both local and foreign. Credible policies and a track record to show good intent will do well too.by I.S. Senguttuvan(July 02, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Sri Lankan watchers and students of how Rajapakse is running the government […]

”Just look at what is happening in Jaffna today. There is military rule. I was personally present when the army came and broke up an academic meeting on preserving ancient books. Our group is now scared of meeting again. by S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole1 July 2011,Naro Udeshi Commemoration Lecture,Mahatma Gandhi Centre, Colombo, June 30, 2011 […]

”The reserved list in the Sri Lankan Constitution begins with the rubric, “National policy on all subjects and functions”. A reasonable interpretation of this provision would be that Parliament can lay down national policy relating to a matter on the provincial list and the Provincial Council should adhere to this in making statutes.”1 July 2011 […]

“But the Tamil problem does not disappear, with the defeat of the LTTE. The Tamil population has legitimate grievances. They feel they are reduced to second-class citizens. the Sinhala chauvinism is a reality. But we have to find a difficult balance because what happens in Sri Lanka has a domestic dimension also.” Q 1: Sir, […]

MP Anura kumara “The so called All Party Committee headed by Prof. Tissa Vitarana had, after 127 sittings, produced a 11,000-odd page report, but there without a solution, he said. This time, too, the government was not concerned about the real issues of Tamil people living in the North and East, “June 29, 2011/ By […]

A center-right bloc of Conservative parliamentarians in the European Parliament Tuesday expressed support for “a just and peaceful solution for the Tamil community of Sri Lanka” and for “a negotiated political solution which can achieve maximum autonomy and regional devolution to Tamil majority areas within a single Sri Lankan state”, as well as “justice for […]

Sri Lanka says Parliament Committee on political solution will strengthen Parliament-28 June 2011Sri Lankan President said that the appointing of a Parliamentary Select Committee to find a permanent political solution to the ethnic problem was by no means a delaying tactic, but one that sought to obtain the concurrence of Parliament for any decision made, […]

“There was no pressure from India on the thirteenth amendment of thirteen plus,” Rajapaksa told reporters.Responding to a query on the visit by Indian National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar, he said the Indians had only discussed with him routine bilateral issues.The Indian officials visited Colombo […]

The Muslim community today is not represented by any party or group as the Muslim political leadership has virtually collapsed. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, a byproduct of communal politics, came with the slogan of unity. However, almost a quarter century later today the SLMC, divided into numerous splinter groups and absorbed individually and collectively […]

By Sunday Times Political EditorThe proposed Parliamentary Select Committee would determine whether the 13th Amendment should be part of a settlement for Tamil grievances, President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has re-iterated.He told the main opposition United National Party’s co-deputy leader Karu Jayasuriya on Friday that this was the UPFA government’s official position. He said the government wanted […]

Former Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians as well as Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO) leaders Mr. Sivajilingam and Mr. Sri Kantha have decided to dissolve their newly formed party Tamil National Liberation Alliance (TNLA) and to re-join TELO and TNA, with a view of strengthening TNA and restructuring TELO to meet the demands of the […]

June 24, 2011/by Shamindra FerdinandoThe SLMC is pushing for immediate expansion of post-war bilateral talks between the SLFP-led government and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) on devolution of powers.The SLMC says the Muslims should be represented at the talks and the failure on the part of the government to accommodate the party wouldn’t help ongoing […]

Douglas and Basil As Minister Douglas Devananda announced his candidature for the Chief Ministership of the Northern Province yesterday, the government intensified efforts at shutting down the potential opposition. Thursday night the army moved into a private TNA meeting of the leadership with its Local Government candidates in Alaveddy, assaulting all and sundry. About 60-75 […]

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 […]