M A Sumanthiran

…concerns over the continued postponement of provincial council elections, describing it as a deliberate strategy to undermine even the limited powers available under the existing framework. Radhakrishnan reportedly responded that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake had offered a “positive response” on elections, assurances Tamil leaders note have historically gone unfulfilled. Concerns over demographic engineering and centralisation were also raised prominently.// 2/2

//ITAK’s C. V. K. Sivagnanam invoked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2015 remarks on meaningful devolution, reiterating that federalism remains the only viable pathway to a durable political settlement. Meanwhile, M. A. Sumanthiran raised … 1/2 tamilguardian.com/content/indian…

//The two-thirds majority the NPP enjoys should be used to bring about the constitutional changes it promised as well as abolish laws such as the Prevention of Terrorism Act. Misusing the two-thirds majority is a grave mistake,…// ft.lk/ft_view__edito…

With a new government in Colombo and long-delayed provincial elections still pending, India’s role has once again come into focus. What is the Indo-Lanka Accord? The Indo-Lanka Accord, signed on July 29, 1987, aimed to end Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict by addressing Tamil grievances within a united state. It recognised Sri Lanka as a multi-ethnic and multilingual country and led to the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. This amendment made Tamil an official language and created elected provincial councils, particularly for the Northern and Eastern regions. At its core, the accord sought meaningful devolution of power, granting Tamil-majority areas a degree of self-governance without altering Sri Lanka’s territorial integrity. Today, Tamil parties, including the Tamil National Alliance, are asking India to ensure that this original vision is implemented in practice.// 2/2

//Signed by J. R. Jayewardene and Rajiv Gandhi, the accord promised greater self-rule for the Tamil minority. Nearly four decades later, Tamil leaders argue that these assurances remain only partially fulfilled, even under the 13th Amendment…1/2 indiasworld.in/sri-lankas-tam…

The West Asia crisis is a wake-up call for Sri Lanka. M. A. Sumanthiran warns that the country's lack of preparedness in several sectors, including education, health, energy, and food security, is now exposed. #SriLanka #Economy #Sumanthiran #JusticeForAll #J4A @MASumanthiran

…and that is to have an arrangement based on a federal model, with irrevocable power sharing,” ITAK General Secretary and former Jaffna MP M.A. Sumanthiran told The Hindu, following the meeting. 2/2

“We told him that the Accord has never been fully realised, not even through the 13th Amendment, which is also yet to be fully implemented. Regardless of whoever comes into government here [in Sri Lanka] or there [India], the agreement must be fulfilled1/2 thehindu.com/news/internati…

That process is not borne out by even the Government’s complaint to the CID cannily referring to the need to investigate past procurements from 2009. The suspicion thus arises that this will be, like in all previous instances, a repeat of previous ‘cover ups’ of political corruption during the ’74 year curse’ that the NPP was fond of belting out on its electoral platforms in 2024. That is an unfortunate but inevitable consequence. 2/2

Let the criminal law take its course The way forward for the NPP Government is very clear. Act on the special audit report of the Auditor General and let the ordinary process of the criminal law take its course. 1/2 sundaytimes.lk/260419/columns…

Sri Lanka lacks preparedness for internal and exogenous shocks. Former MP Eran Wickramaratne discusses the need for both short and long term planning if Sri Lanka is to face unexpected emergencies. #SriLanka #Economy #EranWickramaratne #PolicyReforms #JusticeForAll @EranWick

//If NPP chooses honesty at the cost of discomfort, it may salvage its credibility and reaffirm its commitment. If it, however, resorts to familiar tactics of denial, obfuscation, or selective accountability, it risks becoming precisely what it opposed.// themorning.lk/articles/hHZd1…

I was elected at two conventions of the Party in 2014 and 2019 as Deputy General Secretary. The Constitution of the Party mandates the Deputy General Secretary to function as the General Secretary if that position becomes vacant. The Election Commission has recognized that based on the provision in the Constitution. I am only replying this since you constantly say things like this without any basis in order to mislead people

@MASumanthiran You are an unelected general secretary of ITAK. You have no right to represent Tamils nor raise issues on behalf of them.

“Governments will come and go, but both countries need to honour the agreement they signed in 1987” thefederal.com/category/analy… thefederal.com/category/analy…

The voluntary resignation of the Minister must be lauded; but in the same breath the government and NPP members of Parliament must be condemned for defending him and voting to retain him as Minister even after the indictment by CIABOC and the government itself conceding that the coal was in fact sub standard. அமைச்சர் தானாக முன்வந்து இராஜினாமா செய்தது வரவேற்கப்பட வேண்டியது. ஆனால் அதே நேரத்தில், இலஞ்ச ஊழல் ஆணைக்குழு குற்றப் பத்திரிகை தாக்கல் செய்த பின்னரும், அரசாங்கமே நிலக்கரி தராதரமற்றது என்று ஒப்புக்கொண்ட பின்னரும் அரசாங்கமும் தே. ம. ச. பாராளுமன்ற உறுப்பினர்களும் அவரை பாதுகாத்தும் அமைச்சர் பதவியில் தொடர்ந்து வைத்திருப்பதற்காக வாக்களித்ததும் கடுமையாக கண்டிக்கப்பட வேண்டியவை.

“The agreement has still not been fully implemented, although four decades have passed," he said despairingly in a telephonic interview. "Flowing from that, we want some structural changes. The provincial councils are not functional. Elections are being postponed. As a first step, the elections must be held," added Sumanthiran, also one of Sri Lanka's best-known lawyers. 2/2

"Governments will come and go, but both countries need to honour the agreement they signed in 1987, a large portion of which dealt with the Tamils," M A Sumanthiran, a senior leader of the ITAK, Sri Lanka's main Tamil political party, told The Federal. 1/2 m.dailyhunt.in/news/india/eng…

“The agreement has still not been fully implemented, although four decades have passed,” he said despairingly. “As a first step, the elections must be held,” added Sumanthiran, also one of Sri Lanka’s best-known thefederal.com/category/analy…

/There’s even more scepticism about the government’s commitment to devolve powers to provincial governments. There is no sign of consensus within the NPP to accept even the limited devolution that would come with full implementation of the 1987 amendment./

#India: Those making questionable claims about the Delimitation/Constitution (131st) Amendment Bills are hoping we won't read or decode the Bills, and the political motivation behind them. But we will. Follow @the_hindu's comprehensive coverage here: thehindu.com/tag/delimitati…