Up country Tamil party opposes amending the 13th Amendment
Posted on July 9th, 2013
Asada M Erpini
A news report on 7th July states that the Upcountry People’s Front (UPF) do not want any amendments to the 13th Amendment: all that the Sri Lankans who value the unitary state can say is, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-That is fine. Hold on to your viewsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.
UPF should be told in clear terms that what Sri Lanka does with the 13th Amendment ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” amending or throwing it into the dustbin ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” is a decision of the people of the country.
Sri Lanka is a democracy, and in a democracy the will and the desires of the majority community will decide the fate of the country ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” this is pure and simple mathematics.
The curse that Sri Lanka faced all these years is that the so-called minority communities, through their politicians who represented their interests, dictated terms to the majority. During the times of the colonial rulers, the privileged Tamils of Jaffna had the best of schools and the opportunities for employment in the most enviable government ministries and departments. And, rather unfortunately, the leaders who held power even after the country gained independence in 1948 bent over backwards to please the minorities, ignoring the rights of the majority.
Chelvanayakam, who descended from Malaysia on the then Ceylon was a king maker in Sri Lanka. Thondaman, who had origins to Tamil Nadu, and who represented the estate Tamils, found it lucrative to sell his affiliation to one or the other of the major political parties as and when he found it fit, and continued to get a bigger and bigger share of the pie.
After people immigrate to other countries, on nearly every occasion on economic reasons and for the comfortable lives that they would be able to lead in the new found havens, they learn the local language and try their best to be citizens of those countries. They have no difficulty in learning German, French, Spanish or any other language that is used by the majority. In fact, very recently, the Russian President very clearly enunciated that those who come to Russia will have to learn Russian and accept the values and practices of the Russians. But, when it comes to poor old Sri Lanka, the minorities whose connections to the country are much shorter than that of the majority community, demand special privileges and, in some cases, even enclaves only for their religious or ethnic groups.
Sri Lanka has to immediately stop the practice of giving in to whims and fancies of the minorities. Let the minorities live as equal citizens in a democracy: they should not be allowed to be ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”more equalƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ than the rest or dictate terms as regards the constitution of the country.
July 9th, 2013 at 3:41 pm
India, STILL COMMITTED to solving its own problems at Sri Lanka’s expense, is trying to DIVIDE Sri Lanka into autonomous states and devolve power; a step that is INEXORABLY pushing India itself towards DISINTEGRATION.
India STILL DOES NOT REALIZE that it has committed CRIMINAL ACTS against Sri Lanka that it at the ROOT of ALL OUR ILLS, and takes a “Holier than Thou” stance towards Sri Lanka.
The FAULT is OURS: the GOSL has not CLEARLY told India in BLACK & WHITE its CRIMES & DEMANDED that India BUTT OUT of Sri Lanka’s INTERNAL AFFAIRS!
UNTIL THAT IS DONE REPEATEDLY… EVERYTIME we Meet Indian Officials …. the INDIAN TUNE will not change.
We HAVE TO PUSH India into an Ethical, Moral and Legal Defensive Posture.
Axe Murderers should be TREATED as Axe Murderers without Fig Leaves to hide their Nakedness!
……………………….
India emphasizes on a political settlement in Sri Lanka beyond the 13th Amendment.
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
July 09, Colombo: Shivshankar Menon, the National Security Adviser of India has conveyed to the Sri Lankan leadership that his government expects Sri Lanka to adhere to the commitments made by the Sri Lankan government to India and the International Community on a political settlement in Sri Lanka that would go beyond the 13th Amendment.
Menon, who visited Colombo on 8-9 July 2013 to participate in the 2nd NSA-Level Meeting on Trilateral Cooperation on Maritime Security between India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, has called for an early political settlement and national reconciliation through the meaningful devolution of power.
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.
Conveying India’s views on the recent political developments to Sri Lankan leaders, Menon has emphasized the need for Sri Lanka to fulfill the commitments it made on a meaningful devolution of power 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.”
He also expressed the hope that elections to the Northern Provincial Council would be held in a free, fair and credible manner.
During his visit, Menon participated in the trilateral discussions with the officials of the Sri Lankan and Maldivian governments to address the common maritime challenges in the Indian Ocean region.
Following the meeting on 8 July, the three countries agreed on a roadmap for future cooperation in maritime security and signed an Outcome Document outlining further collaborative measures in the areas of inter alia Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA), strengthening coordination of maritime Search and Rescue (SAR), promoting marine oil pollution response cooperation, expanding ‘DOSTI’ (friendship) exercises and sharing of information on illegal maritime activities and piracy.
It was agreed that the next NSA-Level Meeting on Trilateral Cooperation on Maritime Security between India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives will take place in New Delhi at a mutually convenient time.
The National Security Adviser also called Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa today and also held bilateral meetings with Minister for Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.
In these meetings, both sides have reviewed the progress in bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on areas of common concern.
Both sides were satisfied onthe progress in implementation of the Indian-assisted projects for relief, rehabilitation and resettlement of IDPs in the North, including the Housing Project, as well as projects relating to the development of railway infrastructure in the Northern and Southern Provinces.
The two sides also discussed the fishermen issue and agreed on the need to deal with it in a humane manner without resorting to violence under any circumstances. They agreed that fishermen’s associations on both sides, which had met in the past and reached some understandings, needed to meet again to work on developing this further. This could then serve as the basis for finding a solution to this humanitarian issue.
Menon has also met with other political leaders, including Leader of the Opposition Ranil Wickremasinghe, Leader of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and Minister of Justice Rauff Hakeem, and a delegation of Tamil National Alliance led by R. Sampanthan.
July 9th, 2013 at 3:50 pm
NO, Mr. President! A Nationwide Referendum to REPEAL the 13th Amendment is the BEST PLACE to address this issue.
NO DEAL that YOU BROKER in SECRET behind CLOSED DOORS will be ACCEPTABLE to the TENS OF MILLIONS of your countrymen who love their Motherland!
…………………………………..
Sri Lanka President stresses on PSC as the best forum for revisions to 13th Amendment
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
July 09, Colombo: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa during a meeting with the visiting India’s National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon today has stressed that the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) is the best forum to reach a consensus on the implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.
When Menon called on the President this morning at the President’s House in Colombo, the President explained to the Indian official the problems that exist with devolving land and police powers to the provinces of a small country such as Sri Lanka and stressed that the structure that is implemented should apply and be acceptable to all parts of the country.
The President, agreeing with Mr. Menon that the participation of the major Tamil party Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in the PSC is important, said it is a top priority of the government to reach a consensus on the 13th Amendment.
The President also urged India to encourage the TNA to participate in the PSC, which has been appointed to resolve the issues relating to constitutional reform, and said the government is committed to taking the process forward despite any obstacles.
Prior to Menon’s visit to Sri Lanka, Economic Development Minister and senior adviser to the President Basil Rajapaksa visited India and met with India’s External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid.
During the meeting Khurshid has emphasized that the 13th Amendment should not be diluted and Sri Lanka should go beyond the amendment to ensure meaningful devolution of powers.
Khurshid has also stressed the importance of all political parties in Sri Lanka being represented in the PSC, and expressed hope that all parties would join the process.
Earlier Khurshid has conveyed Indian government’s view on the 13th Amendment to his Sri Lankan counterpart Minister G.L. Peiris stressing the need to keep the amendment unchanged.
Director of the Indian Prime Minister’s Office Manu Mahavar, High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Y.K. Sinha and the Deputy High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka P. Kumaran accompanied Menon.
Ministers Prof. G.L. Peiris, Basil Rajapaksa, and Douglas Devananda, Monitoring Member of Parliament of the Ministry of External Affairs Sajin de Vass Gunawardena, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga and the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to India Prasad Kariyawasam also participated in the discussion.
(Photos by Sudath Silva)
July 9th, 2013 at 3:58 pm
Little by Little, the INDIANIZATION of Sri Lanka PROCEEDS AT A FURIOUS PACE!
Now State Governments of India are getting into the ACT ALSO, even as the Indian Federal Government imposes its Devolution Strategy to Slice & Dice Sri Lanka into a motley collection of warring autonomous Provinces!
Why is the GOSL turning a BLIND EYE to ALL THIS activities by Foreigners in our country?
…………………..
Design set for Sita temple in Sri Lanka
By A. Srivathsan
TheHindu.com
Madhya Pradesh government’s initiative near Nuwara-Eliya; estimated to cost Rs. 2 crore
The Madhya Pradesh government is all set to start building a Sita temple, designed in the South Indian architectural style, at Divurumpola in Sri Lanka. Sita is believed to have undergone her agni pareeksha (test by fire) at this spot. The design has been finalised.
Divurumpola is near Nuwara-Eliya, in the central part of the country.
The State government has been pursuing the proposal with Sri Lanka since 2012. Early this year, it commissioned a Bangalore-based firm of architects to do the design, and assigned the State Tourism Department to coordinate the project.
The architects concerned, who did not want to be identified, told The Hindu they had chosen the Vijayanagara style. The proposed complex would comprise three shrines, a tank and an ornate pillared hall.
Madhya Pradesh Tourism officials said the estimated cost is about Rs. 2 crore. Tenders would be invited shortly.
Since 2007, the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority has been promoting sites associated with the Ramayana. It had identified about 50 such sites and proposed plans to develop them to attract Indian tourists.
However, a few Sri Lankan historians had objected to this project because they thought it distorted archaeological evidence and alleged that these sites were mere inventions.
The Sri Lankan press had earlier reported that Ravana Balaya, a Sinhalese Buddhist organisation, had demanded that a statue for Ravana, the mythical Lankan king associated with the Ramayana tale, should be built before constructing a Sita temple.
They explained that they are not opposed to the construction the temple, but wanted the government to honour Ravana first.
Keywords: Madhya Pradesh government, Sita temple, Sita temple design, Divurumpola, M.P. tourism officials
July 9th, 2013 at 4:10 pm
If they cause trouble…..
Lets reactivate the Sirima-Shastri pact and repatriate all of them.
Problem solved!
July 9th, 2013 at 7:53 pm
“The curse that Sri Lanka faced all these years is that the so-called minority communities”
100% true. A blooody curse. Now all the 3 curses are onboard.
OBVIOUSLY it excludes
1 small minorities (Veddas, Malays, Jews, Chinese , etc.)
2 among the large minorities (Tamils and Muslims = South Endians and Arabs) SOME are good and excluded.
July 9th, 2013 at 8:01 pm
mjaya,
Mahinda-Manmohon Pact to send Indian Tamils (ONLY those who want devolution).
Mahinda-Jeyalalitha Pact to send SL tamils (ONLY those who want devolution).
Mahinda-Nawaz Pact to send Muslims (ONLY those who want devolution).
SL economy will be SAME because these DON’T ADD anything to it anyway.
Fewer people to share it.
Everyone will be RICHER!!
But I’m sure they will NOT GO. They didn’t go in Sirima-Shastri thing. They HID in Vanni.
We need the BOAT STRATEGY and the PLANE STRATEGY.
BOAT STRATEGY – state sponsored asylum seeker facility. Govt. organises cheaper boats to Australia. An explosive is attached to the hull which goes off 4 hours into the journey in mid sea. Without a trace.
PLANE STRATEGY – old crap Ukrainian military transport planes carrying explosives from Palali crash into Tamil Madu like GHETTOS.
July 10th, 2013 at 5:50 am
We are glad to note that INDIAN Tamils are calling themselves Upcountry Tamils – better late than never.
Wouldn’t it be equally nice to have the Tamil National Alliance become the Sri Lanka National Alliance ?
What does it mean : Upcountry People’s Front (UPF) do not want any amendments to the 13th Amendment ? Does it mean that they WANT the 13-A WITHOUT AMENDMENTS ? Or does it mean that they are against the 13-A itself, with or without Amendments ?
Play of words by UPF not clear.
Stop all future dependency on Tamil Labor, or for that matter, any Indian Labor. As we can all see, that is how India gains control over Lanka. Modernise & Mechanise all Labor in Lanka, wherever possible. Use hand held machines to pluck tea as done in India, China & Africa. These machines made in China are quite affordable. Mechanise & Modernise all of the plantations sector as far as possible.
An Oath of Allegiance to Sri Lanka in all schools, public & private work places, a must.