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Colombo, July 17: Members of the civil society in the Tamil-speaking Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka have written to the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intercession with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe for finding solution to their long-pending problems.
The letter was handed over to Ram Mahesh an official of the Indian Consulate General in Jaffna by a delegation headed by Dr.Balasundaram Pillai, Emeritus Professor at Jaffna Univedrsity on July 12.
Here is the full text of the letter:
“We the undersigned members of Civil Society living in the Northern and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka wants to bring our following concerns to your kind attention.
Firstly, we thank the Government of India for their immense support and cooperation for the Government of Sri Lanka, particularly during the last sixteen months in providing the much needed financial and other necessities to ease the hardships the people of Sri Lanka faced.
We are also grateful for the generous support your government gave in rebuilding the infrastructure in the Northern and Eastern Provinces and other connectivity projects such as Jaffna- Colombo Railway, Palaly – Chennai flights and proposed Tamil Nadu- Jaffna ferry services. These projects along with the many intended investment programs will certainly help to regenerate the stagnant economy of Tamil Provinces along with the other Provinces and generate desperately needed employment opportunities.
It is fourteen years since the war ended but the social and economic conditions of our people have not progressed as expected. In addition to the hardships all Sri Lankan people are facing due to the bad management of the economy, Tamil people are facing additional difficulties. For example, education standards are rapidly going down in Tamil Provinces.
Agricultural sector made hardly any progress mainly due to the occupation of fertile lands in Tamil provinces under various pretexts.
The vast majority of the people and many leading members of various civil society organizations feel there is a need for an approachable Tamil administration at Provincial level to plan and manage all sectors efficiently. At present this is only feasible by having an elected Provincial Governments in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.
It is unfortunate that our Tamil political leaders are disunited merely for political reasons and this continues without having any meaningful working program to attain the aspiration of Tamil People. However, majority of the people desperately need a Tamil administration at provincial level. This was amply demonstrated by the fact that since the end of the war, the largest number of people voted in any elections, was only in the 2013 Provincial elections.
We are fully aware that the Government of India has been consistently calling for the full implementation of the 13th Amendment and to have a functioning Provincial Councils in the Tamil Provinces.
We earnestly appeal to you to reiterate that position and use this opportunity to persuade the visiting President Hon Ranil Wickremasinghe to call for an early Provincial Council election Sri Lanka.”
Thank You.
Signed:
Srila Sri Gnanasampantha Paramachariya Swamigal, Nallur Atheenam. Srila Sri Vasutheva Kurukkal, Veenagana Kurupeedam.
Bishop Kingsley Swampillai, Retired Bishop Trincomalee. Bishop Joseph Rassiah, Bishop of Batticaloa.
Rev. P. J. Jebaratnam, Vicar General, Bishop House, Jaffna.
Bishop Dr. V. Gnanathayalan, Bishop, Church of South India- Jaffna. Prof. S. Pathamanathan, Chancellor of Jaffna University.
Dr. V. Vivekanandarajah, Former Chancellor of Eastern University. Dr.K.Premakumar, Former V.C, Eastern University.
Prof. Pon Balasundarampillai, Former V.C., Jaffna University. Prof. C.Arulmoli, Eastern University.
Prof. T. Krishnamogan, Eastern University.
Prof. S.Mounaguru, Former Dean, Faculty of fine arts, Eastern University Prof. S.Padmanaban, Dean, Faculty of Hindu studies, University of Jaffna. Kosalai Mathan, Deen Facultry of Law, Jaffna University.
Rev. S.V.B. Mangalarajah, Justice & Peace Commission of Jaffna.
Rev. J.C.Paul Rohan, Dept. of Christian Civilization, University of Jaffna. S.Ethirmanasingam, Former Cultural Director, Eastern Province.
S.Samithamby, Retired SLAS officer – Batticaloa.
A.S.Yogarajah, Retired Principal of Teachers Training College, Batticaloa. Dr. K.Parathan Kanthasamy, Retired Assist. Director of Education, Kalmunai.
A.Jathindra, Executive Director, Centre for Strategic Studies – Trincomalee (CSST) T.Thavasilingam, Chairman, Consortium of NGO, Trincomalee.
K.Yoganathan, Retired Principal, Trincomalee.
O.Kulenthiran, Retired Additional Director of Education, Trincolee. K.Sivanathan, Retired Senior Superintend of Surveyor, Trincomalee. Dr. C.S.Jamunanantha, Teaching Hospital, Jaffna.
R.Jeyasegaram, President, Jaffna Chamber of Commerce. E.S.P.Nagaratnam, Chairman, ESP Nagaratnam Group, Jaffna. R.Perinpanayagam, Trastee, Chelvanayagam Memorial Foundation. S.Laleesan, Principal, Kopay Teachers College, Jaffna.
Malini Ajanthan, Jounalist, Woman Activist, Jaffna,
S.Mahalingasivam, Director, Eelanadu Daily. E.Chelvachandran, COO, Ask Group of Companies, Jaffna.
K.Senthilkumaran, Deputy Principal, Kopay Teachers College, Jaffna. K.Balashanmuhan, Lecturer, Kopay Teachers College, Jaffna.
R.Rajabalan, Lecturer, Kopay Teachers College, Jaffna. S.Manoharan, Lecturer, Kopay Teachers College, Jaffna. T.Thavasegar, Lecturer, Kopay Teachers College, Jaffna. Mrs B.Sharminila, Lecturer, Kopay Teachers College, Jaffna. Ms S.Rajeetha, Lecturer, Kopay Teachers College, Jaffna.
Ms Dharshini, Lecturer, Kopay Teachers College, Jaffna. S.Pramanathan, Jaffna National College of Education.
T.Elankumaran, Jaffna National College of Education. T.Tharmasivan, Jaffna National College of Education. V.Narenthiran, Jaffna National College of Education. S.Mavirathan, Jaffna National College of Education. J.Uthayakumar, Jaffna National College of Education. R.Sharmija, Jaffna National College of Education.
M.Gayathiri, Jaffna National College of Education. V.Sutharshini, Jaffna National College of Education. C.Vijayan, Jaffna National College of Education.
K.Jothirajah, Jaffna National College of Education. S.R.Sathiyanatha Pillai, Jaffna National College of Education. S.Mugunthan, Jaffna National College of Education.
S.Pathmarajah, Jaffna National College of Education. P.Viyavasuman, Jaffna National College of Education. T.Vageswaran, Jaffna National College of Education. S.Kugan, Jaffna National College of Education.
G.Cinthuja, Jaffna National College of Education. M.Anantharajha, Jaffna National College of Education.
Dr (Mrs) C.Nagendra, Jaffna National College of Education. S.Vaasavan, Jaffna National College of Education.
G.Sutharsan, Jaffna National College of Education.
A.Loganathan, Jaffna National College of Education. A.James Mary Shan, Jaffna National College of Education. M.J.T.Sheltan Jude, Jaffna National College of Education. K.Uthayasanther, Jaffna National College of Education.
T.Sivageesan, Jaffna National College of Education. G.Gajooran, Jaffna National College of Education.
P.Velnith, Jaffna National College of Education.
Mrs S.Subathirai, Jaffna National College of Education. N.Ambigan, Jaffna National College of Education.
N.Nanthakumar, Jaffna National College of Education. M.Bagetharan, Jaffna National College of Education. T.Mohan, Jaffna National College of Education.
P. Nagendran, Social Activist, Mankulam
Pon. Thanabalasingam, Princilal- Jaffna Hindu College Primary.
S.S.KUHANATHAN (Chairman, Ask Group of Companies) Coordinator of the People’s Petition.
40 Racca Lane, Jaffna. Tel: +94 773343320
Email: sskuhanathan@gmail.com
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