13th Amendment

Bishop Duleep de Chickera Since the end of the civil war in May 2009, there has been an unprecedented emphasis on what is popularly known as development. The most visible signs of this type of development are the improvement to roads and bridges, the construction of harbours and airports, the building of big hotels and resorts, […]

It has become imperative to repeal the 13th Amendment and enact new legislation to ensure that the sovereignty of the nation and the territorial integrity of the country are safeguarded whilst providing equal opportunities to all, fostering communal harmony and promoting a Sri Lankan identity, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Faiszer Musthapha said. In […]

 Sumanasiri Liyanage Following the virtual repeal of the 17th Amendment as a necessary corollary of the enactment of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka, chauvinist forces in the South began to mull over further amending the Constitution by using the government’s two-third majority in Parliament. Their target has been the 13th Amendment introduced […]

Fredric March as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde ( Yam Magazine) TNA leader R. Sampanthan says that the government is playing Jekyll and Hyde on the political solution to the Tamil grievances. He spoke to Afreeha Jawad on a gamut of issues.Excerpt:There is widespread belief of an unwillingness on your part to take part in […]

Sri Lanka: Buddhist monks wield immense political power  The Mahanayakes of the Asgiriya and Malwatte Chapters have called for the repeal of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. The Mahanayakes said all should join hands by putting aside all party differences to scrap the Provincial Council system, which is causing divisions and is detrimental to […]

An open appeal to the UN HRC in connection with the Universal Periodic Review in November, 2012  on Sri Lanka urging  it  to  prevail  upon Sri Lanka to stop the dismantling  the devolution of powers that have been conferred on the Provincial Councils by the provisions of the  13th Amendment to the Constitution. NfR Sri […]

Former Foreign Minister, Rohitha Bogollagama yesterday said the Government should not fear international criticism over the issue of the 13th Amendment but should have an alternative if it wanted to scrap it.Bogollagama pointed out that whatever solution the government had the 13th Amendment should be placed before the people for approval. He said if the […]

Gomin DayasriHark, hark, dogs do bark; sleeping dogs – the procrastinators, warm stools in high places without attending to the imperatives after securing a 2/3 majority. Awake before it’s too late- this could be the last call on the 13th Amendment.The impact of the 13th amendment can be diminished or demolished, satisfactorily, if the legitimate […]

Right of self-determination of the oppressed Tamil nation must be defended On the Politics  of the 13th Amendment. By: Surendra Ajit Rupasinghe The Secretary to the Ministry of Defense, a non-elected bureaucrat appointed by his  brother, has declared that the 13th Amendment should be annulled since it constitutes a breeding ground for separatism. The not so-Hon. […]

The post-war reconciliation process with the island nation’s Tamil groups is in a shambles ( File Photo of Tamil refugees: The New York Times) In a troubling development that can sour ties between New Delhi and Colombo, calls for repealing the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution have been growing louder. Disturbingly, the move […]

Indo- Lanka Agreement singed in 1987 Raj Chengappa The decision to increase engagements with Sri Lanka in the area of defence shows the realisation has ultimately dawned on the UPA government at the Centre that relations with India’s neighbours cannot be allowed to be dictated by state-level parties. If there is a clash between the […]

Laksiri Fernando Anyone of course has a right to advocate ‘abolishing the 13th Amendment’ or anything else for that matter. Sri Lanka should be a free country for peaceful political expression. But what is worrying is the almost ‘fanatical’ advocacy of the ‘abolition of devolution’with the 13th Amendment by the Defence Secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. What […]

Gunawansa Thero with the President President of the Deshaya Surakeeme Jathika Viyaparaya (DSJV) Ven. Elle Gunawansa Thera urges the government to abolish the 13th Amendment as it has created so many problems in Sri Lanka. He says that he had vehemently opposed  the introduction of the controversial 13th Amendment to the Constitution when it was […]

The Government has no problem with the implementation of the 13th Amendment to Constitution and if any allied parties are against it they could break away from cohabitation and continue to oppose it after leaving the government, Puttalam District UPFA MP Arundika Fernando told Parliament yesterday.Participating in the debate on new regulations on the Insurance […]

Harim PeirisThe Mahinda Chinthanya Way Forward, the 2010 election manifesto and indeed political vision and action plan of President Mahinda Rajapaksa has an importance and seriousness which exceeds the average election manifesto in a democratic society.Now, an election manifesto itself is an important document, because from it flows, the concept of a mandate to rule, […]

The fact that the president and the cabinet presenting a Bill to Parliament and the President himself acting on behalf of PC to agree to Bill under Article 154 G(3). By Lal Wijenayaka-Attorney-at-lawThe Bill bearing the title ‘Divineguma’ which was published in the Government Gazette on 27th July 2012 and placed in the Order Paper […]

The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) will oppose any attempt by the government to hold a national referendum with a view to repealing the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, SLMC General Secretary M. T. Hassen Ali, MP, said Ali said: “Just because the government could not pass one Bill, it should not try to do away […]

Economic Affairs Minister Basil Rajapaksa says the government will not hesitate to introduce a 19th Amendment to the constitution (19 A) if it feels the 13th Amendment has some shortcomings.Speaking to heads from the Tamil media, the Minister said that the laws should be made to fulfill the expectations of the public and if those […]

Nalin de SilvaThe thirteenth amendment is in the limelight again. Soon after the Supreme Court decided that the Divineguma Bill should be approved by the Provincial Councils the writer in his column in The Island of Sept called for the abolition of the thirteenth amendment. A campaign for repealing it has gathered momentum after the […]

The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) has initiated disciplinary action against seven of its members elected to the Eastern Provincial Council for not carrying out a party decision on the ‘Divi Neguma’ Bill, party sources said yesterday.The sources said that the letters summoning them for a disciplinary inquiry had been sent to the seven SLMC […]

Former Army chief Sarath Fonseka says there is no need to abolish the 13th amendment, as wanted by government ministers and officials.He has made the remark to BBC Sandeshaya following a public meeting at Padavi-Sripura.Mr. Fonseka has said this particular piece of legislation cannot be done away with at the whims of certain persons.The 13th […]

Calls for the abolition of the 13th amendment to the constitution are part of an imperialist ploy against Sri Lanka, alleges senior minister Prof. Tissa Vitarana. Abolition of the 13th amendment will effectively nullify the provincial council system, which will have an adverse impact on the country, he says.Such calls will also negate Sri Lanka’s […]

Several allies of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) have decided to continue their campaign to pressure President Mahinda Rajapaksa to abrogate the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, by using the two-thirds majority in Parliament, Daily Mirror learns.  The Jathika Nidahas Peramuna (JNP) led by Minister Wimal Weerawansa and the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) […]

TNA leader Sampanthan:GoSL afraid of TNA leed North PC  Seran Senguttuvan The 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution came by largely as a result of the Indo Lanka Agreement (1987) after substantial and careful study by legal and other experts of both countries.  The Agreement came at a time when the JR Jayawardena Government was […]

Close on the heels of Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa reiterating his call for abolition of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, the National Freedom Front (NFF) leader, Housing Minister Wimal Weerawansa, MP, has urged President Mahinda Rajapaksa to hold a referendum to decide on the controversial amendment.MP Weerawansa has sought an urgent meeting with President […]

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa yesterday reiterated that post-war political strategy of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) left him with no alternative but to strongly recommend the abolition of the 13th Amendment. He urged the government, the Opposition as well as the international community to examine the conduct of the one-time mouthpiece of the LTTE.It was up […]

10-02 TNA Leader and parliamentarian R. Sampanthan says the proposed Divi Neguma Bill is a clear instance of the government’s insensitivity to the concept of devolving power to the provinces and fully implementing the 13th Amendment and build upon it to bring a meaningful devolution. He said the TNA delegation that was recently in India […]

Gota, JHU push for abolition of provincial councils; TNA-Govt. dispute back to square oneChina wants to know what TNA discussed with India; KP issue comes up again A deal brokered by India for the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to engage in a dual track dialogue with the government, revealed exclusively in the Sunday Times of […]

Senior ministers in the Mahinda Rajapaksa Government are apparently divided into two groups over the continuation of the Provincial Council system established in accordance with the 13th Amendment. Highly placed government sources said that while one group is in favour of the Provincial Council system, several others, including government partners, the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) […]

Gotabhaya shouts as if he has seen a bad dream, we knew about 13th amendment in 1987 – Vijitha The Defense Secretary, as if he has woken up suddenly from a bad dream, is making a big noise saying the 13th amendment should be amended but the JVP has been saying this since the Indo-Sri […]