25-06-2007
My beloved peace loving and Patriotic Citizens of Sri Lanka.
My beloved peace loving and Patriotic Citizens of Sri Lanka.
THE ROLE OF THE PATRIOTIC CITIZENS IN PROMOTING PEACE
I hope that I do not need any introduction to you all. I am in Politics for over 50 years and I am 74 years now. I am very much devoted to my country and its people and striving hard to bring back peace to Sri Lanka. I am also the winner of the 2006 UNESCO’s MADANJEET SINGH Prize for the promotion of tolerance and non-violence. During the last four years I had been bringing to the notice of the people of Sri Lanka the best way to bring back peace to our country. In the process I had written to various organisations, Heads of States, Heads of the Diplomatic Missions in Sri Lanka, H.E. The President of Sri Lanka, Religious Dignitaries of all faiths and many other V.I.Ps in Sri Lanka and abroad. I have had lengthy and useful discussions with Leaders of various Political Parties as well, with a view to arrive at a reasonable solution for the ethnic problem acceptable to all. Being not fully successful in my Mission I thought of drawing in a wider section of the population to study, understand and to endorse or to support a reasonable solution, without taking this opportunity to make political gains.
Sri Lanka known as Ceylon in the good old days was such a beautiful country in which we Sri Lankans, the Sinhalese, the Tamils, the Muslims, the Malays, the Burghers and many others belonging to various ethnic groups lived in peace and harmony with mutual love, respect and understanding for each other and with malice towards none. The present day generation witnessing or hearing of the atrocious activities going on will hardly believe what I now say. We were infact proud of our nation. There was no enmity among us and we did not envy each other. Observing the new trend that is developing in the country, promoting discord and hatred among various communities, I felt it as my moral duty to tell the present generation as to how we lived in the past and what we should do to regain our lost glory.
In the very same country where we all lived peacefully, death and destruction is the order of the day now. Hardly one day passes without some innocent people also getting killed, discovery of headless and bullet ridden bodies on the road side and in marshy lands, sometimes in a highly decomposed state are very common. The casualties at times exceed one hundred in one instance alone. They include men, women and little kids including babies. The people are living in constant fear and tension. People want peace and only peace first, at any cost. If remedial measures had been allowed to take place for certain acts, over one hundred thousand lives and several billions of rupees worth of property could have been saved, during the last 50 years. It is the arrogance shown by certain political leaders that had resulted in so much of loss to our country. Should we not put a stop to the killings?. The young generation should find the answer.
Some of us are quite safe in our homes with the security provided. But the ordinary man has no security at all. It is he who dies on the road. It is he who should look after his wife and children. It is about him we should also bother.
We have in our midst the LTTE leader who will not hesitate to sacrifice one thousand lives merely to glorify himself. Two letters, one addressed to Mr.V.Prabaharan and the other one is this letter addressed to my countryman, both appear together for all to read and to arrive at their own conclusions. If we want peace my letters give the solution.
The letter addressed to Mr.Prabaharan deals with the manner in which he ruined the Tamil community and brought misery to everyone of us. It also deals with how he gradually brought the entire Tamil community under his subjugation. Any right thinking non-Tamil reading the letter will only have tears for the suffering Tamil Community and will want to liberate them and live with them equally and peacefully. Are we as children of mother Lanka, prepared for it?.
This letter addressed to the Patriotic citizens deals with the ethnic problem, how and when it originated and how the issue dragged on without a solution for over 50 years. Any right-thinking person will feel for the wrongs that had been done to the Tamil speaking people and will want to find a reasonable solution without any further delay.
The Mahanayakes of the four chapters Most. Ven.Udugama Sri.Rathanapala Mahanayake of Asgiriya Chapter, Most Ven.Thibbatuwawe Sri.Siddhartha Mahanayake of Malwatte Chapter, Most. Ven.Veveldeniya Medhlankara Mahanayake of Ramagnna Chapter and Most Ven.Davuldena Gnanissara Mahanayake of Amarapura Chapter had in their joint statement said “President Mahinda Rajapakse and his Government is doing its utmost to solve the National crisis to bring peace where all communities and religious groups could co-exist harmoniously and this attempt should be wrested in order to open the doors for the development and good governance of the Country”. They also said, “Some parties are attempting to capitalize on this opportunity to gain political mileage and this cannot be accepted by right thinking people. Therefore we request the Nation to forget their narrow differences and petty gains and to give their unstinted support to the Government to solve our national problem”.
The joint statement of the Mahanayakas gives a lot of encouragement. I am sure that all of you will give serious consideration for the plight of the widows, orphans and the disabled created by the war. You will also have sympathy for those thousands who had lost their limbs and eye-sights, for the death of over 70,000 people belonging to various communities and for the destruction of their property, caused by those unscrupulous elements. I hope all the people will throw their full weight and find a lasting solution acceptable to the minorities without leaving it for the future generation to take the struggle forward, if a final solution is not found now.
I am one who had lived among the Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims, for a long time. I had studied with Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim students. Apart from being taught by Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim, Teachers, I had also taught students of all these three communities. Hence I say with confidence that we can live together peacefully without any difficulty.
I plead that everyone should read both the letters to know the real truth. Extreme caution had been taken to draft these two letters, limiting to facts that I am personally aware of and without any exaggeration.
The age old ethnic problem of Sri Lanka is now half a century old. Whether we are trying to solve it or making it more and more difficult to solve, is the question now widely asked by many, including the International Community. Today in our midst we have many capable people who have very wide knowledge of various modern constitutions and are capable of drafting one to suit our local conditions. Many academics and analysts are also available to help to draft one. To what extent they can help us is in great doubt. One such proposal already drafted, by the experts committee, comprised of Legal Luminaries and experienced Constitutional Lawyers was very much acceptable to the minority communities and the International Community. It came almost near to meeting the aspirations of minority communities, but have been rejected by unexpected quarters for reasons best known to all. The entire scenario would have completely changed, if we were asked to accept that proposal but it will not do any help if such a proposal is going to be meddled with by others. As we accept a court verdict we must also learn to accept proposals of men of high integrity and dignity reposing confidence in them. For them country’s interest is foremost in their minds. Didn’t we accept the Soulbury Constitution?. Unfortunately we are not allowed even to consider the Report of the Experts Committee. Why was that Committee constituted?. I am at a loss to understand as to why it was formed, if we are not going to accept their report or even consider it.
Another missed opportunity was the rejection of the 1995 Proposal of President Chandrika Bandaranayake Kumaratunge, acclaimed as the best solution ever offered and very well received by many. If those proposals had been accepted and implemented, apart from avoiding the destruction of innumerable valuable properties, unimaginable sum of money spent on the war during the past 10 to 12 years and thousands of lives lost in the battle front could have been saved. Thousands of today’s widows would be living happily today with their husbands, children and grand-children. Who will take the responsibility for the loss of life and property during this period.
Hence what is needed today is for a team of experts to go back to the origin of the problem and move forward making provisions to meet the aspirations of the minorities as at that time. Fifty years have passed, since the problem started and the grievances that existed at that time have neither been redressed nor any remedial measures taken to meet the aspirations of the minorities. Most of them who now deal with the problem are those who are not fully aware of the problem as it existed then. They are only trying to show to the world their own capacities with all types of proposals, fully deviating from the original issue.
The country is not looking for experts merely to draft a new constitution but is only looking for specialists to cure a deadly decease, fifty years old and in a very advanced stage, along with the new problems. There is no justification for the inordinate delay in finding a solution because some remedial measures had been taken after the Sinhala Only Act was passed in 1956. The Bandaranayake – Chelvanayagam Pact signed on 26th July, 1957 envisaged a solution to the Ethnic Problem but unfortunately it got abrogated unjustifiably, merely to satisfy a group of people. The problem remained unresolved not only for the next eight years, with the signing of the Dudley – Chelvanayagam Pact but continued for many more years thereafter, since the UNP failed to implement it even after getting the Federal Party’s assistance to rule the country for four years. The UNP refused to implement it and got the pact abrogated in 1969. The provisions in the B-C Pact and the D-C Pact being so relevant and important, few extracts are reproduced from those pacts below for the benefit of those who are confusing the issue with new proposals. What is needed is a solution for the problem as it existed in 1957. The younger generation should know how the two major parties let down the Tamil speaking people and brought dishonour to the Nation, which has now resulted in the loss of over 70,000 lives and destruction to property worth several billions.
We all must work together to regain the lost prestige which had become worse with tremendous false planed propaganda by the LTTE all over the world. The influence they used on some British Members of Parliament bear testimony to my charge.
BANDARANAYAKE - CHELVANAYAGAM AGREEMENT OF 26TH JULY, 1957.
Part A – Paragraph 10
“ After discussion, it was agreed that the proposed legislation should contain recognition of Tamil as the Language of a National Minority of Ceylon, and that the four points mentioned by the Prime Minister, should include provision that, without infringing on the position of the Official Language as such, the language of Administration of the Northern and Eastern Provinces be Tamil, and that any necessary provision be made for the non-Tamil speaking minorities in the Northern and Eastern Provinces”.
PART - B
1) Regional areas to be defined to the Bill itself by embodying them, in a schedule thereto.
2) That the Northern Province is to form one regional area whilst the Eastern Province is to be divided into two or more regional areas.
3) Provision is to be made in the Bill to enable two or more regions to amalgamate even beyond provincial limit; and for one region to divide itself subject to ratification by Parliament. Further Provision is to be made in the Bill for two or more regions to collaborate for specific purposes of common interests.
DUDLEY - CHELVANAYAGAM AGREEMENT OF 24TH MARCH, 1965.
1 Action will be taken early under the Tamil Language Special Provisions Act to make provision of the Tamil Language of Administration and of record in the Northern and Eastern Provinces. Mr. Senanayake also explained that it was the policy of his Party that a Tamil-speaking person should be entitled to transact business in Tamil throughout the Island.
2 Mr.Senanayake stated that it was the policy of his Party to amend the Language of the Courts Act to provide for legal proceedings in the Northern and Eastern Provinces to be conducted and recorded in Tamil.
3 Action will be take to establish District Councils in Ceylon, vested with powers over subjects to be mutually agreed upon between Two Leaders. It was agreed, however, that the Government should have power under the Law to give directions to such Councils in the National Interest.
Even now I maintain that I view all National Issues of the country as one of the patriotic citizens. I always take pride in saying that I am a Sri Lankan. Those who believe in re-birth will accept that a man’s birth in a community is only an accident. Recently a School Boy born to Sinhalese parents suddenly started talking in Tamil and claimed that he was a Tamil in his previous birth.
The purpose of quoting some relevant portions from the B-C and D-C Pact in this letter is to tell the country that devolution, unit of devolution, amalgamation of regions are nothing new. They are 40 to 50 year old proposals of very prominent Leaders like the Late Hon. S.W.R.D. Bandaranyake and Late Hon. Dudley Senanayake both of whom were very responsible Prime Ministers of Sri Lanka. The Provincial Councils issue and the merger issue too are also 40 to 50 years old although the 13th amendment came only on the 14th of November, 1987. The Late Hon. S.W.R.D. Bandaranyake’s proposals made provision for the amalgamation of regions beyond the Provincial Units and also provided for the division of the Eastern province into two or more units. Ironically Late Hon. Bandaranayake who was the founder President of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party was the first person to pronounce Federalism as the best solution for Sri Lanka. He said that even before we gained Independence. Some of these proposals may appear to be new to some but not for all. Let those who are aware of these matters not confuse the issues. That is the greatest respect we Sri Lankans can pay for a great Leader like Hon. S.W.R.D. Bandaranyake.
One should not fail to realize that the Tamil speaking minorities were let down by the successive Governments by their failure to implement both the B-C Pact and the D-C Pact signed by both Prime Ministers. The two Pacts they had signed were with no less a persons than the Late Hon. S.J.V.Chelvanayagam. I am sure if these gentlemen had lived longer they would have honoured their respective commitments and saved the lives of several thousands.
The People’s Alliance that came to power in 1970 with 2/3rd majority drafted and adopted a New Republication Constitution in 1972 which made things worse as far as the minorities are concerned. The safeguards the minorities had in the out-going Soulbury Constitution such as the Second Chamber, appeals to the Privy Council and provision like Sec. 29 did not find any place in the new one. In my view, this is the only occasion any interference by the British Government could have been, to some extent, justifiable, because they had a moral right to safeguard the rights of the minorities that had been tampered with, within 10 years of the adoption of the Soulbury Constitution. They could have atleast brought to the notice of the Sri Lankan Government, that the British Authorities might have considered giving a Federal Constitution to Sri Lanka if such a demand ever came from the Tamil speaking people. The Sinhalese people should have appreciated the fact that the Tamil speaking people wanted to live with the Sinhalese in a United Sri Lanka and did not support separation or even balanced representation as proposed by the Late Hon. G.G.Ponnambalam, Q.C which was misunderstood as if Mr.G.G. was demanding 50% representation for the Tamil speaking people. If the Governments in the past had been a little thoughtful the country would not have come to this state to-day and Mr. Prabaharan and the LTTE would have been non-entities.
The 1977 Elections brought Hon. J.R.Jeyawardene to power with 4/5th majority in Parliament and with a mandate to solve the ethnic problem. He even had the resignation letters of all his Members of Parliament with him. Yet he could offer only District Development Councils as a solution and even refused to drop the word “Development” and to call it District Council. The efforts of the Late Hon. J.R.Jeyawardene also failed because he was not very serious about finding a lasting solution, which now stands proved by the order of the Supreme Court. He made things worse by taking over the Leadership of the Tamils from the moderates and handed it over to the Tamil Armed Groups, by the sixth amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka. Strangely enough at retirement he declared that Federal Solution would be the best for Sri Lanka.
Failure of the Successive Governments to offer a satisfactory solution to the ethnic problem left the Tamils and the Muslims at the mercy of the L.T.T.E. leaders like Mr.V.Prabaharan who had taken advantage of the situation for himself and for his cadre. With threats, intimidations and firepower he had, he brought the Tamils gradually under his subjugation and now they live under him without any Fundamental or Democratic Rights and with their Human Rights seriously eroded. As far as the Tamil speaking minorities are concerned it is a question of “from the frying pan to the fire”.
I am today releasing to the press a copy of the letter I sent to Mr.V.Prabaharan on 22nd June, 2007. This letter had become a lengthy one because I had to deal with a number of matters that I had not dealt with in detail in any of my previous letters to him. The purpose is to make him open his eyes and look back at his achievements from the time he assassinated the Ex-Mayor and M.P for Jaffna the late Hon. Mr.Alfred Duraiappah. I have given him a long list of his activities that had brought utter ruin to the Tamil people and to the Nation at large. If he has tears let him shed them now. I want him to repent for all what he had been doing and to turn over to a new leaf, giving up all his atrocious activities. I am advising him to give up his demand for a separate state and to accept a reasonable Federal solution within a United Sri Lanka. I will not dare to ask him to accept a solution within a Unitary set up since I am of the opinion that a solution that could not be found for over fifty years under a Unitary System cannot be found now after the problem had became more and more complicated. This is one of the reasons as to why I had been campaigning for the Indian Model which is silent in the matters of “Unitary” and “Federal” Systems. Further more some of our people are very allergic to the terms “Unitary and Federal” The Indians take pride in saying that their constitution is based on the principles of “unity in diversity”. During the last two to three years I have met a number of our people Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims, both here and abroad and convinced them that the Indian Model will ideally suit our country. I had pointed out that India the largest Democracy in the world and having a predominant Hindu population has a well respected and loved Muslim dignitary as its Head of the State. I am sure it will not happen here but we must make it happen one day in the future in Sri Lanka also. We should not forget that India occasionally has problems with neighbouring Muslim Countries and from Muslims within, as in Kashmeer. Yet the President is a Muslim. The Sikhs form only two percent of the Indian population and a much respected Sikh Dr. Manmohan Singh is the Prime Minister of India. The Ex-P.M. of India Smt. Indira Gandhi’s foreign Daughter-in-Law is the Chairperson of the ruling Alliance. Could it be possible in our country as it is today especially when one section wanting the non-Sinhala Buddhist to leave the country. We have many things to learn from India.
There are some more very convincing points in support of my view but to avert embarrassment to any body I refrain from doing so. I further referred to the Languages, Religions and Cultures of Sri Lankans. They all came from India for both the Sinhalese and the Tamils and also to some extent for the Muslims. No one disputed the fact that all our ancestors had been from India. Above all there is an overall guarantee that India will never support separation and this position had been made very clear off and on by every party that came to power in India and by every Prime Minister on assumption of office. I have also said that agitation for separation first started in India over 50 years back and ended up even before Pandit Nehruji’s demise.
Today no one talks about it. They don’t want separation in any form. The students all over India voluntarily study the official Language. The various states have their own Language for administrative purposes with link Languages. The moment the National Anthem is heard playing everybody joins. They respect their National Flag as a sacred object. I saw a documentary film, once in the Indian T.V. A beggar woman characterized, I believe, by the famous I.P.S. officer Ms. Kiran Bedi picking up a torn Indian National Flag in a dust bin on the road-side. With tears in her eyes, she tears off a piece of her own ragged saree and patches up the torn portion. It was a half an hour documentary and opinions obtained from a variety of people came mixed with tears in the eyes of everybody. I do not think that we Sri Lankans give so much of respect for our National Flag except at functions. If I have hurt anyone, I beg their pardon. We must have a contended society to be in a mood even to respect the national anthem and the National Flag, which cannot be done under compulsion.
Why is India like that and we are like this?. My frank opinion is that in-spite of all the problems India has including poverty, discrimination, landlessness, homelessness etc India’s various groups lead a contended life among themselves as citizens of United India, while fighting within their respective groups for other issues.
Until we Sri Lankans cure the 50 years old cancer that is in an advanced stage we will not have a contended society for the people to live happily. Strangely enough ours is the only country in the world where people invoke the blessings of the Gods to harm people and not to relieve people of their problems. The famous March to the Dalda Maligawa in Kandy protesting against the implementation of the B-C Pact in 1957 is a good example.
If the B-C Pact had been implemented in 1957 over hundred thousand lives and very many billions worth of property, both private and public, could have been saved. The 1983 riots known as “Black July” that brought utter disgrace to the country and caused the death of thousands and loss of property could have been avoided. The present war that caused the death of over 70000 people also could have been avoided. There won’t be so much of widows and orphans in our country. Who should take the responsibility for all these losses?. It is a pity that our country has so much of selfish politicians who should be held responsible for these unfortunate deaths and loss of property and for such occurrences in the future too.
I am a small sprat in Politics. If only I had cast a favorable eye towards Mr.Prabaharan, I would have been the Parliamentary Group Leader of the 22 fraudulently elected Members of Parliament of the T.N.A and would have enjoyed all benefits of a Parliamentarian. I forgo everything without any regrets-only because, I love my country and its people. One who can’t do this have no honest place in politics. Such people must honourably quit politics.
I have seen references made to me in a number of articles appearing with varieties of proposals every week. I have studied politics. I am a Lawyer and I had done Constitutional law. I know which is good and which is bad for the country. The Modern world has very many up to date constitutions, very much suitable to us. The most recent one is that of South Africa. The Swiss and the Canadian ones are very good. Many others have very good features. The District level devolution is good and also the Panchayath System in the Gandhian style which I like most. But what we want to-day is a cure for our disease. All good features in other constitutions can be adopted if and when necessary.
India is our immediate neighbour separated by the Palk Strait of 20 miles with 60 million Tamils living across. Every day 1000 – 1500 people travel to Tamil Naad and from there to various destination on various business including pilgrimage. There is a branch of the Mahabodi Society in Chennai for the benefit of the Buddhist pilgrims. The Sinhalese brothers are well received there. There are a lot of things to do in Tamil Naad where once Buddhism flourished. From time immemorial Tamil Buddhist Monks had come to Sri Lanka for Missionary work. I am not blaming anybody for any lapses but I take my hats off to Dr.Jeyalath Jeyawardena.M.P, a strong Catholic doing his best to propagate Buddhism in Tamil Naad. He has obtained the lands for establishing three Viharas. The tallest Budha Statue is installed in Andra, another South Indian State. I was shocked to see a propagator of Buddhism claiming Sri Lanka as belonging to the Sinhala Buddhist and that others must get back to India. I don’t want to get involved in a controversy by trying to teach history or geography to any one. But I should atleast say that 20 miles of a strait is nothing for a person to swim across. Many had done it even in recent times both to India and from India. In the good old days a Catamaran would have brought one in a couple of hours to Sri Lanka. They would have come for fishing or even to escape arrest or for fear of life or could have got drifted due to heavy blowing and settled here. Are these arguments relevant at this juncture?. I heard somebody claiming that the Portuguese brought the Tamils from Kerala to Jaffna to plant tobacco. I don’t think one need to come all the way from Portugal to show a Keralite the way to Jaffna and to plant tobacco or even grass. I think this is too much of an insult for anyone to bear. Let no one meddle with history to suit themselves.
What we need today is first to liberate our-selves from the Tigers under whom one group suffers untold hardships directly and the other group suffers indirectly in many ways. How ever the losses on both side are unbearable and involves death, disaster and destruction of properties. A couple of Sinhalese soldiers burnt the Jaffna Public Library but who burnt the thousands of mini-libraries every educated Tamil had in his possession?. The LTTE accuses the others involving in the genocide of the Tamils. But the number of Tamils killed by the LTTE directly is many times more than those Tamils killed by the Forces, without taking the combatants into account. Likewise the number of Sinhalese killed by the LTTE is innumerable without taking the combatants into account. The Sinhalese people cannot have any grievance against the ordinary Tamil people for these atrocities perpetrated on them. They know fully well that it is the work of the brain-washed LTTE cadre who under-go brutal training from the LTTE before inducted into their cadre. I hope no one will dare to challenge this statement
I had been repeatedly complaining about the atrocious activities of the LTTE in areas under their control to which no one has access. Can’t the U.N. enter the LTTE controlled areas to liberate the unfortunate young ones who are detained by force and given training as combatants. Do Human Rights violations apply only to the Government controlled areas and not to areas under the control of the LTTE where it takes place in abundance and without being checked by anybody.
I have given in detail in my letter to Mr.Prabaharan how he had ruined our people in all respects and how he had reduced them to the level of beggars. If the Sinhalese brothers are not going to view the condition of the Tamils living under the subjugation of the LTTE, with the sympathy they deserve and find a remedy for their sufferings, with a solution acceptable to the International Community, they can very well join hands with the LTTE and destroy the Tamils totally and find the Ethnic Problem solved without any difficulty. This is perhaps what some people want to happen.
I have read with interest numerous references made to me in various articles and editorial comments relating to my suggestion of the Indian Model as an ideal solution. I have already made my position clear on a number of occasions. I very well understand various aspects of the Law. I wish to quote what I told His Excellency Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa one day when I discussed this matter with him. I told him that if two packages are offered, one on the Indian Model and another with more powers than the Indian Model, I will still prefer the Indian Model for the simple reason that the Indian Model could be easily sold to our people. It will meet our requirements. It will silence 60 Million Tamils across the Palk Strait whose thinking is disturbed by a small group of LTTE activists. There is nothing wrong in adopting the Indian Model which itself has some features of the Westminster System like the Soulbury Constitution that we had for about 25 years. Most Constitutions today embody some features of the Westminster system
A number of recent events in which the LTTE is involved clearly show that it is only India that had saved us up to now. The swiftness with which the Indian Navy acted and the alertness of the Tamil Naad Police saved us from great disaster. It is advisable for some of our local politicians to observe extreme caution in making their comments. The propaganda of the Sri Lankan Government abroad is no match to that of the L.T.T.E’s. If some British Parliamentarians are misled by the L.T.T.E. propaganda, we cannot blame them. What action had we taken so far to invite a group of Parliamentarians from Britain and India to visit the North and East including the areas under the control of the LTTE?. What action have we taken so far to expose the L.T.T.E’s activities in the areas behind their Iron Curtain?. How many people are detained by the L.T.T.E. and tortured in their detention camps and darkroom chambers?. What record the International Community has about the abductions and conscriptions in areas under the control of the L.T.T.E?. Is the International Community aware that children in L.T.T.E. held areas are living in the jungles during the daytime, only to escape getting caught by the L.T.T.E and when they return home in the night they are caught?. Is the International Community aware that parents who protest against the conscription of children are mercilessly assaulted and some had even committed suicide as a protest when the children are taken away by the LTTE for training by force?. Has any one any record of the children recruited inside the L.T.T.E. held areas to which no one has access?. If the Government Forces violate Human Rights it is the business of that party to clear its name. But who is accountable for the numerous Human Rights violations in the L.T.T.E. held areas that are going on indefinitely for several years without even being mentioned by any International Organisation or by any local NGOs?.
The only option the country now has is to find a solution based on a Federal Structure or to adopt the Indian Model as suggested by me. Whatever solution found should be a permanent and a lasting-one that could side-line the LTTE and will not give room for further agitation in the future. The Government, itself is committed to a Federal Solution under the Oslo Agreement and any deviation other than the Indian Model will not appease the International Community whose assistance will be required to compel the LTTE to accept a reasonable solution as an alternative to their demand for separation.
The general opinion of the people is that the country should not divide itself and subject to this condition the consensus is that all citizens irrespective of their race or creed should enjoy equal rights in a United Sri Lanka and any effort by any group to impose discrimination in any form will never help to bring peace to the country.
With regards,
V.Anandasangaree,
President – TULF.
