Colombo: Leaders of Sri Lanka’s main Tamil party TNA will meet President Ranil Wickremesinghe this week to discuss their outstanding issues, including the release of Tamil prisoners who have been held under a stringent anti-terrorism law.
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leaders are meeting Wickremesinghe on his invitation December 21 as part of the President’s ongoing dialogue with the Tamil community.
“Yes, the meeting has been scheduled,” Dharmalingam Siddaththan, a senior TNA legislator told PTI.
Presidential sources said issues such as the release of Tamil prisoners who have been held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) would be discussed.
The TNA for long has been pressing for the release of Tamils held without a charge for aiding and abetting the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Also on the agenda is the Himalayan Declaration compiled by the Tamil diaspora group the Global Tamil Forum (GTF).
The GTF and along with a group of Buddhist monks jointly toured the country last week, meeting the powerful Buddhist clergy.
The Joint Himalayan Declaration advocates for a pluralistic Sri Lanka learning from past mistakes was presented to Wickremesinghe last week.
The move, however, came under heavy criticism by the hardline Tamil groups, saying the Sri Lankan government has not done enough for the reconciliation with the minority community.
Wickremesinghe started his talks with TNA a year ago after his failed attempt to convene an all-party conference. His move to grant full powers to provincial councils without police powers faced stiff resistance.
India has been pressing Sri Lanka to implement the 13th Amendment, which was brought in after the Indo-Sri Lankan agreement of 1987, to achieve reconciliation with the minority Tamil community. The 13A provides for the devolution of power to the Tamil community.
The president’s office, meanwhile, said that the newly set up Interim Secretariat for the Truth and Reconciliation Mechanism (ISTRM) has successfully commenced its ‘National Provincial Public Consultations’ from Jaffna in the Northern province between December 10-12. “The ISTRM delegation’s visit to Jaffna was aimed at gathering insights and recommendations to formulate a sustainable framework for national unity and reconciliation,” it said.
“Discussions included a comprehensive examination of community challenges and key issues that have been an impediment towards building sustainable peace and reconciliation,” the statement said.
PTI