The chief minister of the Northern province, C V Wigneswaran, told the Sri Lankan president that the resolution passed by the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) calling for an international inquiry into the crime of genocide against the Tamils by successive Sri Lankan governments expressed the Tamil people's "thoughts and feelings".

Meeting President Maithripala Sirisena a couple of days after the resolution was adopted by the council, Mr Wigneswaran told BBC Tamil, that he also called for the Mr Sirisena's pledge of reconciliation between the North and South to be established sooner.

The issues of Northern fishermen and the release of land currently housing the military base at Valikaamam North were also discussed.

The meeting was also attended by fishing organisations from the North, and the minister for home affairs and fisheries, Joseph Perera, the state minister for defence, Ruwan Wijewardena and the governor of the northern province, H M P B Palihakara.

The resolution on genocide has been widely endorsed by the Tamil people, including by Tamils in the Eastern province, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the Tamil National People's Front (TNPF), the Tamil Civil Society Forum (TCSF) and a number of diaspora organisations.

It has meanwhile been condemned by Sri Lanka's cabinet spokesperson, government coalition party, the JHU and Sri Lanka's opposition leader.