New Northern CM reiterates need for self-determination
- Tuesday, 08 October 2013
Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran soon after taking oaths has reiterated the need for self determination for Tamils in Sri Lanka.
Issuing a statement, the Chief Minister has said that the Tamil people in the North have mandated him to perform his duties on a long term and a short term perspective.
He has reportedly stated that the long term goal is for the Tamils to confirm their individuality and to do so they have to learn lessons from the struggles of the past, previous political perspectives and past experiences and then forge ahead.
“It is the need of the hour that we remove the misunderstandings and doubts that have crept into the minds of various communities. It is as a part of such an exercise that we decided that I take oaths before the President of this Country. We believe our decision would convey to our brethren our desire to settle our differences within a united Sri Lanka. Our action today buttresses our close-up perspectives too, in that we expect to bring immediate relief to our war affected people. I hope the Sinhala people would endeavour to prod on their political representatives in every manner whatsoever to bring sunshine into the lives of our disturbed and affected Tamil speaking people,” he has said.
“I expect my Sinhala brothers and sisters to impress upon their political representatives that internal self determination does not divide the country but facilitate a journey on the path of unity. I sincerely ask the Sinhala people to realize that to the same extent the Sinhala people cherish and respect their language and culture so do the Tamil speaking people cherish and respect their own language and their traditions. There is no place for violence in this realization. None could force such realization. It is such sincere realization that would take us all on the path of peace and brotherhood. Therefore let my simple symbolic act today pave the way for the unity of the people of the two communities in our Island. May Divine blessings be with all of us,” he has added.
- Tuesday, 08 October 2013
Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran soon after taking oaths has reiterated the need for self determination for Tamils in Sri Lanka.“It is the need of the hour that we remove the misunderstandings and doubts that have crept into the minds of various communities. It is as a part of such an exercise that we decided that I take oaths before the President of this Country. We believe our decision would convey to our brethren our desire to settle our differences within a united Sri Lanka. Our action today buttresses our close-up perspectives too, in that we expect to bring immediate relief to our war affected people. I hope the Sinhala people would endeavour to prod on their political representatives in every manner whatsoever to bring sunshine into the lives of our disturbed and affected Tamil speaking people,” he has said.
India seeks devolution of powers in Sri
Lanka's Tamil areas
By PTI | 7 Oct, 2013,
COLOMBO: India today sought meaningful devolution of powers by Sri Lanka and the early resumption of dialogue to facilitate "genuine reconciliation" in Tamil-inhabited areas of the country.
On his first visit here, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid raised the issue of reconciliation during his meeting with his Sri Lankan counterpart G L Peiris at theMinistry of External Affairs.
During a joint news conference with Peiris, he called for "meaningful devolution" of powers to provinces, including Tamil-inhabited areas in the north.
"India has been consistent in calling for an early political settlement and national reconciliation through meaningful devolution of powers, so to ensure that all citizens of Sri Lanka, including the Sri Lankan Tamil community, would lead a life marked by equality, justice, dignity and self-respect," Khurshid said.
India hopes that the "vision and leadership that resulted in an end to armed conflict and holding of elections to the Northern Province will now be employed to work for genuine reconciliation", he added.
Noting that Sri Lanka had conveyed to the world community its commitment to move towards a political settlement based on the full implementation of the 13th Amendment on devolution of powers, Khurshid said: "We look forward to an early resumption of the dialogue process in order to address this issue in a timely manner."
"We hope that successful culmination of elections to the Northern Province will usher in a new beginning towards a better future for the people in the north," he said.
The Tamil National Alliance swept recent polls in the Northern Province, winning 30 of the 36 seats in the local council.
The two sides further said they had made "forward" movement on resolving the "very sensitive" issue of fishermen.
Two agreements were signed in the presence of Peiris and Khurshid at the Presidential Secretariat - one on the 500-MW Sampur Thermal Power Project and an MoU for technical assistance for a 10-year national plan for a trilingual Sri Lanka.
