TNA making same demands as LTTE: Prof Vitarana
Chamikara WEERASINGHE
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has put forward demands which the
LTTE failed to achieve militarily.
They are also stressing on pre-conditions to attend the Parliamentary
Select Committee (PSC) proceedings to find a political solution to the
national question, Senior Minister and former All Party Representatives
Committee chairman Prof Tissa Vitarana said.
He said TNA leader R Sampanthan had wanted what the LTTE had
submitted as their proposals for an Interim Self-Governing Authority in
the North and East in November 2003.
Sampanthan had demanded from the government that fisheries,
agriculture, all sea ports, mineral resources , media, motor vehicle
taxes, judicial and police powers in the North and East to be placed
under the TNA, Prof Vitarana said.
The demands include the control of the subjects of health and
indigenous medicine, education, vocational training, irrigation
activities, co-operatives establishments, forest resources provincial
authorities, livestock development, highways, forest resources, power
generation, housing construction, urban development, tourism industry,
cultural activities, rehabilitation, state lands, sports, charity
organisations, lottery taxes, foreign investment, financial
institutions,and judicial taxes among a wide variety of other taxes.
Prof Vitarana said the TNA should desist from this approach and
participate in the deliberations of the PSC in a spirit of goodwill and
cooperation to reach a workable political solution to the ethnic issue.
Asked if it was possible for the government to meet their
pre-conditions for PSC proceedings, Prof Vitarana said: " My view is
that neither the government nor the TNA should have any pre-conditions
to participate in the committee proceedings."
"All parties should take part in the deliberations free of
conditions," he said.
Prof Vitarana said the PSC has been mandated to conclude its
deliberations within six months and the list of names of its
participants have to be presented this month.
"The TNA has not yet declared their participation. This can have a
negative impact. They must look at the wider national interest," he
said.
"Earlier, the TNA was talking about a merger of the Northern and
Eastern Provinces. These matters could be discussed at the PSC," he
said.
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