08/15/2011
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Daily Mirror
Consultation and consensus were supposed to be the method to be used by politicians to sort out political differences, but it appears that the much talked of and often maligned but never really rejected constitution of the late President JR Jayewardene especially concerning the extent of devolution of the 13th Amendment leaves more room for contentious and acrimonious debate than any other issue.
08/08/2011
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The Hindu
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) called for specific measures for “the devolution of autonomy to the Tamil-speaking areas” of Sri Lanka at a meeting of the party's Central Committee here on Sunday.
08/08/2011
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Daily Mirror
Defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse told Indian news channel Headlines Today that Sri Lankan would not devolve any more powers to the minorities in spite of the promises it made in the past.
07/31/2011
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Lakbima News
Q: Will your government ever produce a political solution?
A: I think a political solution means you have to do a lot of things. We are doing a lot of things. This Constitution of Sri Lanka is far more advanced than any other Constitution in the world. Every right of the people, the women, the minorities, all races, everyone, is covered. The judiciary has supreme power, even going over the legislature. Every commission which can be created in the world is created in Sri Lanka in the Constitution. It’s all there in the book but practical things have to be done. When I go to Jaffna, I can’t use my language in any of the offices. Similarly, sometimes, it may be that a person coming to Colombo from Jaffna can’t use his own language. Funny thing is that we both have to use another person’s language, English, to communicate. There are also areas in which both communities are living where we have to find a way to implement. I have got a lot of complaints that when a Sinhala person goes to the land office in the Trinco kachcheri he cannot communicate in his own language.
07/30/2011
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The Island
As Jaffna approached local government elections two years after the war, some aspects of its social, economic and political landscape are now more apparent. Resettlement and the return of many of the displaced have been gradual; the process continues to have many economic challenges including issues of land. Economic activity has accelerated particularly in agriculture and fisheries, but also in trade with the expansion of markets after the A-9 road opened twenty months ago. Labour is heavily in demand with increasing wages as sustained economic activity has created serious shortages in skilled labour for construction and agriculture. While land prices skyrocketed last year in a post-war bubble, prices are now coming down and stabilising in many areas after improved access to services and quicker transport to Jaffna Town. Indeed, infrastructure, particularly roads, electricity, banking and telecommunications are expanding; with a visible increase in the number of vehicles and mobile phones.
05/17/2011
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Ministry of External Affairs, Sri Lanka
4. Both sides agreed that the end of armed conflict in Sri Lanka created a historic opportunity to address all outstanding issues in a spirit of understanding and mutual accommodation imbued with political vision to work towards genuine national reconciliation. In this context, the External Affairs Minister of Sri Lanka affirmed his Government’s commitment to ensuring expeditious and concrete progress in the ongoing dialogue between the Government of Sri Lanka and representatives of Tamil parties. A devolution package, building upon the 13th Amendment, would contribute towards creating the necessary conditions for such reconciliation.
05/17/2011
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Colombo Page
May 17, Colombo: Sri Lankan government has affirmed its commitment to work towards a genuine national reconciliation and produce a devolution package based on the 13th Amendment to the Constitution to create the necessary conditions for such reconciliation.
03/04/2011
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The Island
The implementation of a durable political solution to the ethnic issue was the answer to overcoming international calls for a war crimes probe against Sri Lanka, UNP parliamentarian Lakshman Kiriella said yesterday. He told a news conference in Colombo that the UNP was willing to support any form aof devolution that would address the aspirations of all communities. The Mahinda Rajapaksa regime’s confrontationist and childish foreign policy with the West, was detrimental to Sri Lanka’s interests and needs to be reviewed urgently, Kiriella said.
10/16/2010
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Sify
The Sri Lankan Government seems to be unwilling to set any anytime frame for the implementation of the 13th amendment, which consists of a devolution package for minority Tamils.
10/15/2010
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OneIndia
COLOMBO, SRI LANKA (BNO NEWS) -- Around 500 separatist rebels have been released in the northern region of Sri Lanka after they completed their rehabilitation program, military officials said on Friday.