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* Sri Lanka Tamil parties express disappointment over SLFP’s devolution package
Wednesday, May 2, 2007, 13:11 GMT, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
May 02, Colombo: Sri Lanka Tamil parties TULF, EPRLF and PLOTE yesterday said that the devolution proposals put forward by the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party have complicated matters than paving the way to a solution to the national question.
Issuing a joint statement signed by V. Ananandasanagaree, President TULF, D.Sithadthan, President PLOTE and T.Sritharan, General Secretary, EPRLF said that the proposals do not address the grievances of the Tamils.
The ruling party which submitted its proposals on Monday at the May Day rally proposed that district councils be the unit of power devolution rather than the present provincial councils.
“It is with deep regret that we the under signed, representing the TULF, EPRLF and PLOTE being thoroughly disappointed with the proposals of the SLFP, as one that will not meet the aspirations of the Tamil people, reject it totally,” the statement noted.
“Instead of taking the peace process forward, it has made it difficult to find a reasonable solution. Furthermore being the ruling party’s proposal that should form the guideline to a solution, it had made even the proposals of the other parties irrelevant.”
The party leaders said that the powers to be devolved under the SLFP proposals are not even coming closer to the powers vested in the provincial council formed under the 13th amendment to the constitution.
After so much of loss of life and destruction to properties and having failed to find a solution under a unitary system, the Tamils will not accept any solution less than one under a Federal constitution, it added.
Government ally EPDP, a Tamil party led by Social Welfare Minister Douglas Devananda, also of the view that the provincial councils should be the unit of power devolution. More >>
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