The European Union trade delegation, currently visiting Sri Lanka for discussion regarding the regaining of GSP+, met with the Tamil National Alliance on Wednesday.

A Sri Lankan constitutional framework must “promote power-sharing and protect(s) the identity, language, culture and right to self determination” of all communities in Sri Lanka, said Northern Provincial Council Chief Minister C. V. Wigneswaran.

Speaking at a seminar on “Constitutional models of power sharing, challenges and perspectives in multi ethnic societies” organised with support of the government of Switzerland, Justice Wigneswaran noted that the “classical distinction between federal and unitary state is giving way to more complex forms of the nation states”.

“Thus we cannot limit us to look at the problem of devolution from a binary reasoning standpoint of unitary or federal only,” said the chief minister. “It is essential to keep in mind the fact that a strictly unitary state places power in the hands of the majority and the consequent authoritarianism, majoritarianism and domination of the majority-centre would affect the minority-periphery.”

Recalling the Tamil National Alliance election manifesto of 2013, which also noted that the Tamil people are a distinct People that have inhabited the island from time immemorial with the right to self determination, Justice Wigneswaran said the seminar would examine how “the individuality of People different from the majority could be preserved and maintained.”

 “We Tamil Speaking people of the Northern and Eastern Provinces feel that the people of the North and East of Sri Lanka are fully qualified to be categorized as People entitled for self determination in terms of the characteristics and qualifications delineated in the UN Covenants,” he added. “How to recognize our right of self determination within this Country which is multi lingual, multi ethnic and multi religious is the larger problem facing the Country.”

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena met with Buddhist organisation Bodu Bala Sena in a wide ranging meeting to discuss threats to Sinhalese villagers “from Tamil separatists”.

“About 4,500 families in five remote villages in the Bogas Weva region in Vavuniya, who had been resettled by the previous government, have now started to get back to their previous places,” said BBS General Secretary Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara.

“The attention given to them by the Government and the influence from several Muslim Ministers and threats from Tamil separatists resulted in the villagers returning to their former places,” he added.

He went on to state,

“Those villages have been set up by the help of tri forces. I am pleased to inform that the President had informed the Army Commander to take immediate action regarding the issue. We hope the President will take fruitful decisions in the future.”

Villagers in Mullativu held a protest on Monday, demanding the return of their lands which have been occupied by the Sri Lankan authorities under the controversial Mahaweli Development project.

Villagers from Kokkulai, Kokkuthoduvai and Karunattukerni gathered in front of the Mullaitivu district secretariat demanding an end to the project, which has seen Sinhala settlers move to the Tamil North-East, in large scale colonisation projects.

The Sri Lankan government expressed its thanks on Tuesday to China for its support during the armed conflict.

Sri Lanka’s investment promotion agency is aiming to attract $5 billion of Foreign Direct Investments (FDI’s) over the next three years said the International Trade and Development Minister.

Tamil diaspora organisations, in a statement marking the 40^th anniversary of the passing of the ‘Vaddukkoddai Resolution,’ pledged to host events around the world to reaffirm and 'take it forward in all dimensions.'

The statement read,

“The essence of the Resolution declared on 14 May 1976 under the leadership of the late S.J.V Chelvanayagam was the enunciation by Tamils that, in view of their long maligned experiences, they could no longer live under the hegemonic rule of a Sinhala Buddhist State. In the subsequent General Elections of 1977, the Tamil people gave a clear mandate for the Resolution by electing all candidates who stood behind it. That mandate by the people lives in their spirit forty years on.”