‘OMP unacceptable’ Tamil MPs makes it clear to Sri Lanka president
A delegation of the newly elected MPs from Sri Lanka’s largest Tamil Political Party-Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) has categorically told President Anura Kumara Dissanayaka the Tamils of the North and East will never accept the Office for the Missing Persons (OMP) since it does not have a judicial mechanism.
Party MP from Batticaloa Shanakkiyan Rasamanikam told this to journalists in Colombo after a meeting with the President at his secretariat.
The meeting was the first such one after the Parliament elections after AKD became the President a few months earlier.
“The President asked us if the functioning of the OMP is satisfactory. We replied back saying such a system which doesn’t have a judicial mechanism is not needed for us and also our people won’t accept it. We made it very clear to him”.
The comments of the ITAK come at a time when the OMP established in 2016 by an Act of the Parliament has called for applications to fill up certain member posts in their office. The advertisement for filling up those posts has been published based on the Act, in particular regarding the establishment of the office, administering and managing day-to-day activities. The Department of Parliamentary Affairs announced recently that people who fulfill the required qualifications have been asked to apply.
Meanwhile, the President’s Media Division says, the Tamil MP’s apprised the President of the long standing demands and issues faced by the Tamil people in the North and East.
After the meeting Shanakkiyan Rasamanikkam MP told journalists the President said to the ITAK MP’s delegation that the political prisoners are in jail for more than the stipulated period.
“I have proposed a new suggestion regarding granting of bail to the political prisoners. If that’s taken forward, he said it can be looked into if those granted bail could sign at the police station once a week. The President said they are in jails for longer periods than the said to be crimes they have committed. He also agreed with our stand they should be released”.
ITAK MP’s team also impressed upon the President the issues faced by the Tamils in the Amparai. They informed the President the problems faced by the Tamils there for over forty years because the Kalmunai North Sub Divisional Secretariat has not been upgraded as a full Divisional Secretariat with all powers.
“We also discussed the Kalmunai North Divisional Secretariat. He told us he would discuss it with the Ministry’s secretary regarding the Kalmunai North Secretariat. Also, regarding land issues, he informed us he would discuss with the respective ministries. Moreover, he told us that some of our proposals for development would be included in the budget”.
Federal Political Solution
Batticaloa District MP Shanakkiyan also told the media, that they also discussed with the President about the political solution expected by the Tamils and the problems faced by the People in the North and East for a very long time.
“We expect a Federal political solution with a united North and East. We informed this as our party’s stand. We spoke about the release of political prisoners. We expressed our opposition to the continued use of the Prevention of Terrorism Act. We also discussed land grabbing, Mahaweli, Forest Department, Coast Guard, and the removal of military camps and the land grabbing taking place through those departments. We also talked about justice for our disappeared people.”
Shanakkiyan Rasamanikkam told journalists the President told their delegation the political solution could be examined when a new constitution is being written.
ITAK MPs Sivagnanam Siritharan, Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam, Shanmugam Kugathasan, Shanakkiyan Rasamanikkam, Gnanamuthu Sirinesan, Kavindran Koteswaran, Ilayatambi Srinath and Thurairasa Raviharan participated in the discussion with the President.
