TNA reiterates self determination, North-East re-merger

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), a coalition of four parties in Sri Lanka, on Saturday reiterated its adherence to the right to self determination for Tamils and the re-merger of the Northern and Eastern Provinces under federal structure. While pointing out that Tamil-speaking Muslims would be entitled to be beneficiaries of “all power-sharing arrangements in the North-East,” the Alliance, in its manifesto released on Saturday, said “this will no way inflict any disability on any people.” R. Sampanthan, TNA leader, who released the coalition’s manifesto for the next month’s Parliamentary elections near a Anjaneyar temple in Maruthanamadam near Jaffna, asserted that “there is no way out.” He made this observation, while replying to a query on the principal political formations of Sri Lanka accepting the TNA’s demands on the right to self determination and federalism. “I am hopeful that they will realise that majoritarianism is not a solution to the country’s national problem.” he said, adding that the formations would accept the Alliance’s position reflected through the manifesto. Asked whether the TNA would make the acceptance of its demands as a pre-condition to getting its support in the post-election scenario, Mr Sampanthan replied in the negative and said the Alliance would engage itself with everyone. Its approach would be “positive and constructive.” The TNA, which comprises of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK), Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO), Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) and the People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), is contesting in the electoral districts of Jaffna, Vanni, Batticaloa, Digamadulla (also known as Ampara) and Trincomalee of the Northern and Eastern Provinces. The Alliance, while seeking fulfillment of resolutions adopted at the United Nations Human Rights Council from 2012 to 2014 and recommendations of report to be released in September this year, called for “meaningful demilitarization” resulting in the return to the pre-war situation as existed in 1983, speedy resettlement of displaced Tamils in the North and the East. The involvement of the international community in the Tamil question was “inevitable to achieve permanent peace through genuine reconciliation,” enabling all people living in the country to live as equal citizens, it was quoted as saying by The Hindu.(The Hindu)