The Illankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) has told President Ranil Wickremesinghe that if the current Government fails to provide a solution to the ‘ethnic question’ within a certain period, it will take steps to find a solution under the international law of self-determination.
The ITAK had said, this during the discussion with the Government held at the Presidential Secretariat on Thursday (8).
During the discussion, the ITAK has alleged that the Government has ‘deceived’ the Tamil people again and they are not ready to be deceived anymore.
Speaking to the media after the discussion, ITAK Leader MP R. Sampanthan said, “We explained our position regarding a political solution to the President, but we do not feel that the President’s stance on this issue is correct. He only thinks about constitutional amendments. It is imperative that the ethnic question be resolved as soon as possible. We have already held many rounds of negotiations with the Government, but nothing has happened.”
Sampanthan alleged the Government is postponing the solution to the ethnic problem as well as the holding of elections. If this situation continues, it will not be possible to work together with President Ranil Wickremesinghe. The ethnic problem should be resolved within the next few months. If the Government fails to provide such a solution, steps will be taken to get a solution under the international law,” he asserted.
According to Sampanthan, the President said, the Government is working to establish interim administrative councils in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.
“The Illankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) members questioned whether separate administrative councils would be established in the two provinces or whether one administrative council would be formed by combining them. However, the President did not give a direct answer to that question. He said, he also has such an idea and will discuss it with other political parties and take a decision,” he said.
The President said, that committees have been appointed to look into the political and land issues and that the committees will receive the reports within two months and the discussions will be held again in July, Sampanthan added.
ITAK Leader Mavai Senathirajah, MPs M.A. Sumanthiran, Shanakiyan Rasamanickam, Charles Nirmalanathan, S. Shritharan and T. Kalai Arasan participated in the discussion.
However, the PLOTE and TELO did not participate.