Lankan Buddhist nationalists urge repeal of provincial powers

A collective of Sri Lankan Buddhist nationalist groups came together here today to try and force the repealing of the provincial councils system ahead of the planned election in the island's Tamil-dominated north.
"The Collective for the Abolition of the Provincial Councils System" was announced today, spearheaded by the hardline Bodu Bala Sena (Buddhist Power Force) which has been in the news recently for its campaign against perceived Muslim extremism in the island.
"What is needed is the devolution of administrative powers and not the devolution of political power. The provincial council system has failed to address this issue and as a result the entire country has been made to pay for this," BBS leader Galagodatte Gnanasara told reporters.

Gnanasara lamented although it has been four years since the LTTE was militarily defeated the country had failed to win the trust of the Tamil people.
"The Tamil people are least bothered about the provincial council system and only want to live happily in their areas," Gnanasara claimed.
The Sri Lankan Cabinet last week discussed a paper to amend two provisions of the Thirteenth Amendment (13A) which both aim to dilute provincial powers.

The 13A and the provincial councils entered Sri Lanka's statutes in 1987 as part of the India-Sri Lanka Peace Accord which envisaged devolution of powers to the island's provinces in an effort to resolve the Sri Lankan Tamil ethnic conflict involving the LTTE and government forces.

The councils functioned in the mainly Sinhalese south while the Tamil-dominated northern council did not function as it was controlled by the LTTE.
The cabinet deferred the matter as time was sought by at least two parties within the ruling coalition.
One such party was the main Muslim party, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC).
SLMC sources said its parliamentary group which had met yesterday had resolved to oppose the amendments.
The amendments once approved by the Cabinet would be presented as an urgent bill in order to hold the northern election in September.
Power to the provinces is seen by the international community as a major step towards reconciliation with the Tamil minority.

Concerned over reports of Sri Lanka considering removal of land and police powers prior to the northern elections, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid had spoken to his Sri Lankan counterpart G L Peiris last month and stressed the need to leave the 13A unchanged.