| 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
(A federal form of government with an autonomous Tamil-Muslims state and three autonomous Sinhala states) |
Rejected by the GOSL. |
| 1979 |
Presidential Commission to report on
creation of District Development Councils |
This did not fulfil the Tamils’ aspirations.
Not intended to provide a different political or administrative structure for any particular part of the country. |
| 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
(District councils without executive power)
Thimpu (principle) proposal placed by Tamils
(Homeland, Nationhood, right to Self-determination and equal rights) |
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
(Formation of a new Eastern Province by excising Sinhalese majority areas and the creationof two Tamil Provincial Councils in the Northern and the reconstituted Eastern Province) |
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
(LTTE formed a political party, the PFLT, and prepared to contest in the elections) |
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.
No progress was made. |
| 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 |
All Party Conference*
|
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. |
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