Sajith Premadasa, the presidential candidate for the New Democratic Front, has stated that he is unwilling to enter into discussions with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) based on the 13-point memorandum signed by five Tamil political parties.
Shiral Lakthilaka, a member of Premada’s campaign team, has defended this decision stating that his policy is to support devolution within a unitary structure. He told reporters, “there is nothing to discuss beyond that”. The party remains resolute to reject the points raised by the memorandum.
Listed in these demands was a rejection of the unitary state and the establishment of a federal state for Tamils.
The memorandum also demands the abolition of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) which Sri Lanka had claimed it would repeal in 2015 under the co-sponsored UN Human Rights Council resolution 30/1.
Read more here: Tamil parties sign memorandum on key demands
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