The most urgent step necessary in Sri Lanka is to halt the Sinhala colonisation programme being implemented by the government which seeks to change the very identity of the traditional Tamil areas, Tamil National Alliance leader R. Sambanthan said on Aug 27.
Addressing a press conference in Chennai, Sambanthan said the aim of the colonisation was to drastically change the demography of the Tamil-dominated areas and render the demand for devolution of powers redundant.
“If there is no intervention, the damage done by the colonisation will be irreversible and irreparable,” he said.
Sambanthan termed fruitful his meetings over the week with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi. “The Prime Minister gave us a patient hearing. It showed his interest in the Sri Lankan Tamils issue.”
He said Modi underscored the need to find a lasting political solution within a united Sri Lanka. The Prime Minister said that he was committed to ensuring the implementation of provisions under the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution, facilitated by the India-Sri Lankan accord of 1987.
Further, Modi wanted the TNA to unite all Tamil-speaking people of the island nation, including the Muslims. “He advised us not to take extreme positions. By remaining firm on non-violence, the Prime Minister said, we will win international support,” Mr. Sambanthan pointed out.
The TNA delegation also informed Modi of the rampant militarisation of the northern and eastern provinces.
Earlier, Sambanthan met State BJP leaders, including president Tamilisai Soundararajan and Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan to apprise them of the outcome of the TNA delegation’s meeting with Modi.
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