Autonomy question: Tamil MPs ask Delhi for help
In 1987, an agreement was signed between India and Sri Lanka providing for the devolution of powers to the Tamil communities. In a letter to the Indian government, some legislators underline the promises not kept so far and ask for external intervention to resolve the issue.
Colombo (AsiaNews) - Prominent Tamil MPs from the country's northern province have written to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking for his government's intervention to ensure the implementation of the controversial 13th amendment.
Led by R. Sampanthan, a long-time politician and leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the legislators met with the Indian Ambassador in Colombo, Gopal Baglay, on 18 January and handed over a seven-page letter focusing on the implementation of the 13th Amendment regarding devolution of powers. The letter highlights the many commitments not kept by the various Sri Lankan governments, starting with the Colombo-Delhi agreement of 29 July 1987, which provided for a constitutional solution to the problem.
The seven parties signing the document are the TNA, Itak, Telo, Plote, Eprlf, Tmp and Tnp. The missive, which includes an attachment on key issues faced by the Tamil-speaking people of Sri Lanka, will be sent to PM Modi through the Indian embassy in Colombo.
The letter cites interventions by the Indian political leadership during different periods, including PM Modi's firm belief in 'cooperative federalism' during his address to the Sri Lankan Parliament in 2015. It also highlights what some Tamils see as the limitations of the 13th Amendment: the creation of a system of provincial councils on the basis of devolution of powers under the legislation.
According to Tamil MPs, the 13th Amendment was "introduced in a unitary Constitution, making decentralisation rather than devolution central. It is in this context that every effort made thereafter has been in the direction of moving beyond the 13th Amendment towards the creation of a federal structure."
The document states that 'the Government of India has been actively engaged in this direction for the past 40 years, and we are grateful for the firm commitment expressed by India to find a just and lasting solution'.
The Tamil legislators also called for Indian cooperation to ensure the implementation of 'the clear commitments made by all sectors of the government since 1987 and to enable the Tamil-speaking peoples to live with dignity, self-respect, peace and security in the areas of their historic home, exercising their right to self-determination in the context of a united and undivided country'.
India has often reiterated its commitment to preserving the rights of Sri Lanka's Tamil community through the full implementation of the 13th Amendment, including the early holding of provincial council elections and attempts at reconciliation, although hardliners in the ruling Sri Lanka People's Party (Slpp) have been pressing for the provincial government system to be abolished altogether.
The TNA has been joined by two other warring groups, including the former prime minister of the Tamil-majority northern province, C.V. Wigneswaran.
Speaking to AsiaNews, TNA spokesperson, MP M.A. Sumanthiran, said, "We remain committed to a political solution based on a federal structure that recognises our right to self-determination in the areas of our historical presence, for which we have repeatedly obtained a mandate from the Tamil people in the north and east, where they have always been the majority."
He added that the Tamils have repeatedly set this as their own proposal for constitutional reform: 'On the Tamil national question, many promises have been made from time to time. Our demand is to implement them now. We have written to Prime Minister Modi because the Sri Lankan government has signed this agreement not with us, but with the Indian government".
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01/06/2017 09:34
