13th Amendment should be fully implemented - UPWU President

P. Rajaratnam in Nuwara Eliya

United Plantation Workers' Union President A.P. Kanapathipillay said the 13th Amendment should be fully implemented if the country is to find an end to the ongoing conflict in the larger interest of the people.

Kanapathipillay is a senior Attorney-at-Law and a human rights activist. He was addressing the Communist Party's annual convention at Nuwara Eliya attended by a large crowed. He said the Government is forging ahead with progressive development perspectives for the country. He outlined some of them, which included the large scale developments in the Eastern and Northern Provinces, the Tamil language being given its fullest implementation of being an official language, the introduction of the National Language Institute where the Government servants could equip themselves in both languages, the Sinhala and Tamil vice versa at the initiative of Minister D.E.W. Gunasekara, the other new concept currently being held at the Nuwara Eliya Police Headquarters where hundreds of Sinhala Police officers are learning Tamil, introduced under the Asian Foundation. He said all such progressive measures have been introduced by the Government and the President, whereas all the successive governments had failed. Therefore, he strongly requested these leaders with parochial thinking and ideas should fall in line with the Government and support it to achieve its goals and targets, said the UPWU leader. He also stressed the need for everyone's support and co-operation for the full implementation of the 13th Amendment without any reservation in the best and larger interest of the masses.

Kanapathipillay complemented the women participants who had shown a keen interest in the deliberations and particularly the youth members. Ananda Mahalekam, S. Thamilmaran, M. Panneerchelwam and several youth leaders addressed the convention.