President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has held a special discussion with several Parliamentarians and representatives of the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK).

The meeting was held at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday (19). It is reported that this special discussion was held at the request of the ITAK MPs.

The Provincial Council Elections, the recent incident related to a temple in Trincomalee and other crises that have arisen in the Northern and Eastern regions as well as reconciliation were reportedly discussed during the meeting. The ITAK MPs, who brought the recent issue that has arisen in the Trincomalee area to the President’s attention, have discussed with the Head of State the need to ensure reconciliation between all races to prevent such issues.

ITAK General Secretary, President’s Counsel M.A. Sumanthiran and several ITAK MPs including Shanakiyan Rasamanickam had participated in the discussion.

Meanwhile, President Dissanayake said  the discussions with the Tamil National Alliance MPs focused on the PC Elections and the need for a new Constitution. Dissanayake said that he emphasised that the Government believes that the longstanding issues faced by the people of the Northern and Eastern Provinces can no longer be resolved through “outdated political solutions”. 

“Therefore, it is essential to move towards a new political solution, and we expect the cooperation of all stakeholders in this regard,” he said in a Facebook post. He said the TNA MPs also raised longstanding regional issues such as the fisheries disputes, land related concerns, and the need for improved infrastructure and development in the North and the East. Dissanayake said that he had instructed the relevant officials present to take necessary steps to resolve these matters promptly. “Furthermore, I stressed the importance of all parties working together to counter attempts to create ethnic tensions within the country,” he added.