Tamil Community-Sri Lanka Opposed to Devolve Power


The government is opposed to federalism to devolve power to the Tamil community in Sri Lanka in a bid to address the political aspirations of the minority ethnic community in the country.

The government would not offer a federal solution to the country’s ethnic problem, senior minister Nimal Siripala de Silva told parliament today.

De Silva, who is a member of the government’s panel which is currently engaged in talks with the main Tamil party Tamil National Alliance (TNA), said the government stands opposed to federalism as a form of devolving political power to Tamil minority.

"However we are for a negotiated solution by talking to all parties and seeking their views. It must be a sustainable solution," the minister stressed.

De Silva said a majority in the country would oppose a federal solution.

He was responding to a remark by the main opposition UNP MP Lakshman Kiriella who said that UNP was not averse to a federal solution.

The UNP under Ranil Wickremesinghe’s leadership between 2002 and 2004 talked to the LTTE through Norway’s facilitation.

The LTTE had agreed during the talks that they would explore a federal solution to end the ethnic strife.

However, the UNP’s willingness to arrive at a federal solution saw them being ousted from power with the majority Sinhalese overwhelmingly disapproving the Norwegian facilitation and the federal solution it sought to achieve.

The LTTE waged a bloody three-decade civil war for a separate state for the Tamils of Sri Lanka, alleging discrimination against the minority community at the hands of the majority Sinhalas.

But the Lankan military crushed the rebels and ended the ethnic conflict that killed between 80,000 and 100,000 people.