Federal Solution Needed, 13th Amendment Has Failed: North-East Civil Group
The North-East Civil Coordination Committee has asserted that Sri Lanka’s 13th Amendment has failed to address the political aspirations of the Tamil people, calling instead for an irreversible federal solution that would guarantee dignity, self-governance, and political rights for the Tamil community in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.
The statement was issued following a discussion held in Jaffna to mark the fourth anniversary of the committee’s 100-day campaign, which was conducted across all eight districts of the North and East to advocate for a federal political settlement.
Addressing the media after the meeting, representatives of the committee said that Tamil people had been “deceived” by the 13th Amendment, arguing that it does not provide meaningful power-sharing or genuine political autonomy.
The committee noted that 2026 marks 75 years since Tamil political leaders first formally proposed federalism as the political solution for the Tamil people. They said anti-Tamil political rhetoric and policies dating back to the early 20th century convinced Tamil leaders of the need for a distinct political structure to safeguard the community’s political and social interests.
They also recalled that the Tamil Mahajana Sabha was established in 1921 under the leadership of Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam to advance the political rights of Tamils in the North and East.
According to the committee, successive governments after independence implemented policies that marginalized Tamils through political exclusion, land appropriation, and state-sponsored settlement schemes in the North and East, undermining the sovereignty and rights of the Tamil people.
The committee said the federal concept was officially adopted by Tamil political leaders in 1951 as a response to these developments.
Representatives argued that sovereignty belongs to the people, allowing them to elect their own representatives, shape political, economic, and social policies, and determine their own future. They claimed that under Sri Lanka’s unitary system, sovereignty is not shared and that the central government retains the authority to withdraw powers granted to provincial administrations at any time.
They maintained that the 13th Amendment does not devolve sovereignty to the Northern and Eastern Provinces and has therefore failed to provide a lasting political solution. They further criticized successive Sinhala-led governments for treating sovereignty primarily as a matter of territorial integrity while overlooking the political rights and democratic aspirations of the Tamil people.
The committee emphasized that protecting the rights of people—not merely preserving territory—is the true essence of sovereignty. It accused successive governments of denying the Tamil people’s democratic right to determine their own political future and of continuing to violate their political rights.
The North-East Civil Coordination Committee concluded by reiterating that an irreversible federal solution for a merged Northern and Eastern Province remains the only durable and just political settlement for the Tamil people.
The discussion was attended by representatives of civil society organizations from all eight districts of the North and East, along with co-conveners of the North-East Civil Coordination Committee.
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