CM of Lanka's North asks Tamils to insist on federal structure

Chief Minister of Sri Lanka's Tamil- dominated northern province C V Wigneswaran has asked the community to "insist" on the federal solution to resolve the country's decades-long ethnic conflict.
Addressing the Tamil Peoples Council in Jaffna yesterday, Wigneswaran said the Tamils must insist on a federal structure under the new Constitution with the re-merger of the northern and eastern provinces to form a single Tamil-speaking province.
His comments came in the backdrop of the current move to adopt a new Constitution for the country replacing the existing one formulated in 1978.
Calling for the merger of the north and east, Wigneswaran said it is necessary to keep the culture and integrity of the Tamil-speaking people against 'encroachments' by the majority Sinhalese.

The Sinhala-majority dominated government at the Centre must not use the Muslim issues in the north and east in order not to grant a federal structure with the merger of the two provinces, he said.
Within the united north and east, the Tamil-speaking Muslims could have separate autonomous unit, he said.

Wigneswaran also called for action to set up the accountability for the warcrimes before the government formulates a new Constitution.
The Sinhala majority is averse to setting up a federal structure fearing it would lead to the creation of a separate Tamil state in the two provinces if granted.

The government, which had set in a process of public views on the form of the new draft constitution, has the task of convincing the Sinhala majority that the new Constitution would not pave way for any ethnic divisions of the country.
Wigneswaran said the government could not decide on the draft by merely giving into majority concerns as regards political freedoms of the Tamils.