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| Prof. Vitharana |
The Tamil National Alliance’s non- participation in the proposed PSC remains a major fetter to implement LLRC recommendations even as the government’s National Action Plan to implement Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) recommendations within a specific time frame is made known internationally, said Senior Minister of Scientific Affairs Prof Tissa Vitarana.
Prof Vitarana, who was also the former chairman of the All Party Representatives Committee yesterday told the Daily News, the government is determined to implement LLRC recommendations with the aim to address the problems of the Tamil people.
“Now that it has come up with an all important National Action Plan to implement the recommendations envisaged in the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission Report before the world,” Prof Vitarana said.
”It will be of paramount importance for the government to ensure that the Parliament Select Committee is functional to support it in the wake of its making strides to find a solution to the Tamil problem,” he said.
“The absence of Tamil National Alliance is now a fetter to its efforts to implement the National Action Plan to implement LLRC recommendations,” he explained.
“The government is to ensure that the Action Plan does not become mere “lip service” to the public and that it provide justice to the problems raised in the LLRC on a firm footing,” he added.
“If TNA should persist with their known non-participation to the PSC, the government will be compelled to take action to resolve matters regardless of their “objections” to keep to the broader national view,” he pointed out.
The Tamil National Alliance has been refusing to participate in the PSC upon various demands they have laid before the government.
“For example, they demand that police powers be given to them in the North. There are some political parties in the government that do not like it. If we discuss we can come to a broader consensus how that sort of powers could be given in a selective context,”he said.
“They have to be flexible and at the same time be of assistance to the government to find a lasting and workable solution to their problems, political or otherwise,”he said.
“The National Action Plan to implement LLRC recommendation is a good start. They must make use of it,.” said Prof Vitharana.
It has given set time frameworks to meet specific targets.
It covers international humanitarian law issues, Human Rights, land reform and resettlement, and reconciliation.
It also seeks to address accountability issues, he added.
Chamikara Weerasinghe
CDN