“Some within the Rajapaksa administration are calling for its repeal deeming the provincial councils, created consequent to the Amendment, “white elephants”.
#Tamil eelam identity card full#
“The contentious 13th Amendment, born out of the Indo-Lanka Accord of 1987, has remained in Sri Lanka’s Constitution for nearly four decades without seeing full implementation, as successive regimes in Colombo have refused to part with power over crucial areas including land, and law and order.” “A group of Opposition MPs in Sri Lanka, representing Tamils from the north and east, hill country (Malaiyaha Tamils), and Tamil-speaking Muslims on Sunday sought the full implementation of the 13th Amendment to ensure “existing rights are not snatched away”. A news report by the Colombo correspondent of “The Hindu” Meera Srinivasan provided pertinent details of the Colombo meeting. In a significant political move, several political parties of the Sri Lankan Tamils, Muslims and Hill Country Tamils met in Colombo on December 12th and engaged in discussions aimed at demanding full implementation of the 13th amendment. It cannot be unilaterally abrogated by one country. Until and unless both countries jointly repudiate it, the Indo-Lanka Agreement will continue to be there.
Provisions of the accord could be activated if and when necessary. The Indo-Lanka treaty has been “forgotten” for many years but nevertheless it remains valid. Sections of opinion within both the Sinhalese and Tamil communities share alike this inability or unwillingness to recognise the reality of what actually prevails at ground level, namely the 13th Amendment (13 A) to the Sri Lankan Constitution facilitated by India through the Indo-Lanka Accord.Interestingly both Sinhalese and Tamil hardliners are united in their opposition to 13A for different reasons. Also, it was – in theory at least – responsible for the safety and security of all people living in the north and east.Įven after decades of interaction with our giant neighbour, Sri Lanka is yet to comprehend the nature of relations vis-à-vis India and understand the basics of Indian policy towards it. The Indo-Lanka Accord provided India a permanent “say” in the affairs of Sri Lanka as it had to underwrite the resolutions and guarantee their implementation. While the Sri Lankan Government agreed to implement the proposals outlined in the accord, clause 2.14 stated: “The Government of India will underwrite and guarantee the resolutions, and co-operate in the implementation of these proposals.” Clause 2.16(e) says: “The Governments of Sri Lanka and India will cooperate in ensuring the physical security and safety of all communities inhabiting the Northern and Eastern Provinces.” The Tamil people were making a "sincere effort to seek permanent peace through a just political solution," and the international community should support this, the LTTE's message said.The accord among other things bestowed upon India the responsibility (shared with Sri Lanka) of ensuring and protecting the security and safety of all communities living in the Northern and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka. The LTTE, on the other hand, had been constantly asking for the sincere implementation of all the clauses of the CFA, but to no avail. The Sri Lankan government had attacked civilians, blockaded key roads, divided the predominantly Tamil North Eastern Province and had carried out ethnic cleansing, all in brazen violation of the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA), the LTTE said. The world should see the injustices done to the Tamil people by the Sri Lankan government in 2006 and act accordingly. Meanwhile, in its New Year message, the LTTE said that in 2007, the international community should stop equating the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government in its statements and dealings with the two. A citizen without a card could be arrested. Interestingly, residents of the LTTE-controlled areas carry Sri Lankan National ID cards also. The LTTE has taken this system from the Sri Lankan government which issues National ID cards to every citizen.
#Tamil eelam identity card registration#
The card was handed over to Prabhakaran by the Commissioner of the "Tamil Eelam Department of Registration of Persons" S Jayenthiran. The LTTE's Peace Secretariat said that the first "Tamil Eelam National Identity Card" was received by the supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran at a ceremony somewhere in the North East. As the first act of defiance in 2007, the LTTE on New Year's Day started issuing its own "Tamil Eelam National Identity Cards" in areas of Sri Lanka which it controls.
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