Ilankai Tamil Sangam
Association of Tamils of Sri Lanka in the USA
Published by Sangam.org
by Tamil Centre for Human Rights, September 9, 2008
Submitted to UN Human Rights Council
Year | Type of political solution | Result |
1957 | Banda-Chelva pact – Regional Councils | Unilaterally abrogated GOSL. |
1965 | Dudley-Chelva pact – District Councils | Unilaterally abrogated GOSL. |
1970 | Proposals placed by the Tamil Federal Party |
Rejected by the GOSL. |
1979 | Presidential Commission to report on creation of District Development Councils | This did not fulfil the Tamils’ aspirations. |
1983 | All Party Conference (Proposals merely extended the scheme of decentralization at District level to the Provincial level with limited co-ordination) |
TULF rejected these proposals as it was not the originally formulated set of proposals, known as Annexure – C. |
1985 | In Thimpu - Devolution proposal by Sri Lanka Thimpu (principle) proposal placed by Tamils |
Rejected by the Tamil representatives.
Rejected by the GOSL. Talks collapsed because while the talks took place Sri Lanka renewed its military offensive in the North East. |
1986 | “19 December” proposals by Indian envoys |
GOSL expressed reservations and eventually rejected this proposal. |
1987 | Indo-Lanka Accord (Provincial Councils) (North and Eastern Provinces merged under this Accord. 95% Tamils didn’t support this Accord.) |
After 18 years, the Sri Lanka Supreme Court rejected this merger on 16 October 2006. |
1989-90 | Premadasa Talks |
The holding of fresh elections in North East never took place. Prevented LTTE from demonstrating its support from the people in North East. |
1992-93 | Parliamentary Select Committee Reports
(President D.B.Wijetunga said that there is no 'ethnic problem.') |
Eyewash for benefit of International Community. |
1995 | Devolution Package (Refused to recognise the existence of the Tamil homeland, rejected an asymmetric approach, continued to treat all the provinces in the same way) |
Rejected by Buddhist Maha Sanga and other Sinhala political parties. |
2003 | ISGA proposal by LTTE (Interim Self-Governing Administration) |
Rejected by the GOSL and other extreme Sinhala political parties. |
2005 | Post Tsunami Operational Management Structure – PTOMS |
Rejected by the Sri Lanka Supreme Court |
2007 | Not ALL political parties invited to participate in its discussions. Tamil National Alliance, especially, was kept away. Sinhala political parities UNP, JVP, JHU strongly against its proposals. |
Mr. N. Satyendra, a scholar and legal expert who participated in the earlier political negotiations with GOSL, described the legislation as a "comic opera." The provisions of the 13th Amendment are impossibly "burlesque and farcical," he stated. Further Parliamentarians and academics described this proposal as ‘political mockery’.
GOSL = Government of Sri Lanka
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