SRI LANKAN president Ranil Wickremesinghe plans to press ahead with the full implementation of amended legislation as part of his reconciliation efforts with the country's minority Tamil community.
The Tamils have been demanding the implementation of the 13th Amendment that provides for devolution of power to the community.
Brought in after the India-Sri Lanka agreement of 1987, it created nine provinces as devolved units with a temporary merger of the Northern and Eastern provinces.
Wickremesinghe’s office said on Wednesday (2) that he will deliver a speech in parliament next week when it is reconvened for its regular session.
"The President will outline his plan to implement it with all powers that could be granted to provincial councils," an official said.
During an all-party meeting last month, Wickremesinghe had said that all powers, except police powers, could be granted to the councils.
He would also submit to parliament all proposals received from different political parties on the full implementation of the legislation.
However, the main Tamil party - the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) was adamant about holding the stalled provincial council elections at the talks.
The TNA cited previous Sri Lankan government statements which said full powers would be granted.
The elections for the nine provinces have been on hold since 2018 following a move to introduce electoral reforms.
It now needs a parliamentary amendment to enable the elections to be held under the existing proportional representation system.
Wickremesinghe convened the all-party meeting immediately after his recent two-day visit to India during which the 13 Amendment figured prominently in his wide-ranging talks with prime minister Narendra Modi. Modi had reiterated India's wish to see the full implementation of the legislation.
Sinhala majority parties have urged Wickremesinghe to hold the stalled council elections.
But some parties have renewed their fears that full powers to councils would pave the way for the separation of the north and east from the island nation.
The president at the all-party meeting had asserted that cross-party consensus was needed through parliament and urged parties to come on board to settle the issue.
Wickremesinghe's parliamentary speech should happen on any day from Tuesday (8) next week, officials said.
He has come under fire from the majority Sinhala community parties for bringing forward the issue of devolution at a time when the country is grappling with its worst-ever economic crisis.
They say the president's action is a political stunt to woo the Tamils ahead of the next presidential election due in the last quarter of 2024.
Sri Lanka has had a long history of failed negotiations to end the Tamil claim of discrimination by allowing some form of political autonomy.
The Tamils put forward their demand for autonomy after Sri Lanka gained independence from Britain in 1948. From the mid-70s, it turned into a bloody armed conflict.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) ran a military campaign for a separate Tamil homeland in the Northern and Eastern provinces of the island nation for nearly 30 years before its collapse in 2009 after the Sri Lankan Army killed its supreme leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.
According to Sri Lankan government figures, more than 20,000 people are missing due to various conflicts, including the three-decade brutal war with Lankan Tamils in the north and east, which claimed at least 100,000 lives.
(With inputs from PTI)
Sri Lankan president to press for reconciliation with minority Tamils
Ranil Wickremesinghe to deliver a speech in parliament next week over devolution of powers
Moglai Bap and Mo Chara of Kneecap perform at Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Police may probe anti-Israel comments at Glastonbury
BRITISH police said they were considering whether to launch an investigation after performers at Glastonbury Festival made anti-Israel comments during their shows.
"We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon," Avon and Somerset Police, in western England, said on X late on Saturday (28).
Irish hip-hop group Kneecap and punk duo Bob Vylan made anti-Israeli chants in separate shows on the West Holts stage on Saturday. One of the members of Bob Vylan chanted "Death, death, to the IDF" in a reference to the Israel Defense Forces.
"Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation," the police statement said.
The Israeli Embassy in Britain said it was "deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival".
Prime minister Keir Starmer said earlier this month it was "not appropriate" for Kneecap to appear at Glastonbury.
The band's frontman Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was charged with a terrorism offence last month for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah at a concert in November. He has denied the charge.
A British government minister said it was appalling that the anti-Israel chants had been made at Glastonbury, and that the festival's organisers and the BBC broadcaster - which is showing the event - had questions to answer.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said he was also appalled by violence committed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
"I'd also say to the Israeli Embassy, get your own house in order in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank," Streeting told Sky News.
"I wish they'd take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously," he said.
(Reuters)