The Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) have reiterated their refusal to accept the 13th Amendment as a starting point to the Tamil national question in a letter to Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
In the letter, signed by TNPF leader Gajendrakumar Ponnamablam and the general secretary Selvarajah Kajendren, they stated that:
"One of the main causes of the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka has been the Unitary State structure. Despite this reality President J R Jayewardene passed the 13th Amnedment to the constitution. Ever since the 13th Amendment was introduced, the Tamils have rejected it on the grounds that for as long as the structure of the State remains Unitary, no meaniful autonomy and self government can be achieved."
The 13th Amendment was established in 1987 as part of the Indo-Lanka accord and created the system of Provincial Councils, promising greater devolution of land and police powers to a merged North-East. However, Sri Lanka has failed to implement the accord.
The letter also highlights that in 1987, the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) wrote to the then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, explaining that the proposals in the 13th Amendment "do not meet the aspirations of the Tamil people."
Despite the longstanding rejection of the 13th Amendment by Tamils, Ranil Wickremesinghe has repeatedly stated that he will implement the accord as a solution to the Tamil national question.
In his address to Parliament earlier this week, Wickremesinghe said:
“Under the 13th Amendment, police powers have emerged as the most delicate issue in the transfer of authority to the Provincial Councils. As a result, I propose that it might be more practical for us to initially focus on reaching consensus concerning other powers."
“It is advisable to progress step by step. Prioritising sensitive matters could potentially hinder the attainment of any mutual agreement,” he added.
In the letter, the TNPF drew attention to the Thimpu talks of 1985 between Tamils and the Sri Lankan government which were mediated by the Indian government. These talks reaffirmed the recognition of Tamils as a separate nation with an inalienable right to self-determination and the existence of a traditional and historical homeland comprising the Northern and Eastern provinces on the island.
The TNPF went on to explain that a solution can only be achieved by "going beyond the Unitary state structure and considering a Federal structure and at the same time seeking to constitutionally ensure the unity of the country."
See the full letter here.
