Tamil Makkal Thesiya Kootani (TMTK) leader C.V. Wigneswaran has slammed Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran for engaging in discussions with the Sri Lankan government, maintaining that “no satisfactory settlement can be reached so long as an Unitary Constitution is in place in Sri Lanka and as long as the Executive Presidency is in place”.
Earlier this week, TNA MP, Selvam Adaikalanathan, defended his party’s engagement in discussion with the government maintain that such discussions would not take place unless the government was willing to meet the demands of his party. These demands included the release of Tamil political prisoners, the release of land occupied by the military, and the implementation of the 13th amendment. However, Wigneswaran maintained that anything short of a Confederal Constitution would constitute a betrayal of the Tamil people.
“Such a leader will be considered a traitor to the Tamil people by the Tamil people” Wigneswaran stated.
Wigneswaran further lambasted the TNA politician stating that he had not discussed “openly what his intentions are and those of the Government is”. He also criticised Sumanthiran’s support for the government’s Human Rights Council, claiming it “caused massive setbacks to the Tamil people”.
In his statement, he highlighted the government’s failure to abide by even the 2012 UN resolution and LLRC which maintained the need to advance accountability. Wigneswaran maintained that a Confederal Constitution could “ensure the safety of Tamils in the country”.
Any solution “must solve the basic problems of the Tamils which include their personal security, continuance of their individuality including their language and preservation of their traditional homelands” he added.
Read his full statement here.
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