Sri Lanka President says will fully implement 13th amendment

Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe said he will fully implement an earlier amendment to the constitution which was aimed at giving more autonomy to provinces in a bid to solve the island’s ethnic conflict.

The 13 amendment which has been part of Sri Lanka’s constitution for 37 years is a solution which stops short of a Federal state. But it has not been fully implemented especially in terms of police and land powers.

The solution is backed by India. Indian Foreign Minister Subramanium Jaishankar was in Sri Lanka earlier this month. India has also supported Sri Lanka’s debt re-structuring.

“As the President I should implement it,” he was quoted as telling a meeting of political parties called on January 27.

“If it is not implemented someone should bring another amendment and abolish it. We cannot stay on the fence saying we will not abolish it and we will not implement it.”

President Wickremesinghe said he was not for a Federal solution but was in favour of power sharing.

“Our provincial councils have less power than the authority running the City of London,” he had said.

A land commission will have to set up. Provincial police commissions will have be set up.

“If there any objections an amendment can be brought to defeat it,” he said. “I plan to make a statement to parliament on February 08.

“Most the people sitting here are Sinhalese. Non of them will sell-out the country.”

Ex-Presidents Mahinda Rajaksa, Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Dinesh Gunewardene, representatives from Tamil and Muslim parties were present, the statement said.