Lanka ruling party presidential candidate Premadasa assures devolution of power

Sajith Premadasa, the presidential contender from Sri Lanka's ruling party, on Thursday proposed the reinstatement of the Senate to ensure devolution of powers to the provinces, a long-pending demand of the minority Tamil community in the country.

Premadasa's manifesto for the November 16 presidential election features a photograph of him shaking hands with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his last visit to Colombo.

The manifesto of the the United National Party says "to project our role as the hub of the Indian Ocean, we will pay special attention to building and reinforcing strong links with our neighbours, paying particular attention to nations on the Indian Ocean Rim regions."