I would however like to emphasize that my views have not changed, from twenty years ago, when the Liberal Party emphatically welcomed devolution under the Indo-Lankan Accord but said that the enforced merger of the North and East was a mistake, Rajiva Wijesinha

I agree with you that the implementation of the 13th Amendment could be the first step .not plus or minus.
This means the 13th Amendment should be implemented in full in letter and sprit. This does not mean that the existing Provincial Councils should continue as they are presently constituted. But the valuable lessons learnt could be taken into account. The Problems experienced in all matters that are crucial in any devolutionary process are funds, functions ,functionaries and freedom

The problems regarding funds is that funds allocated should be adequate, predictable, timely and not dependant on any whims and fancies of anybody tax sharing is constitutionally impossible alternate arrangements should be made about the smooth flow. It must be norm or formula based.

Functions should be clear. education and health should not be devalued in the name of national schools and teaching hospitals.Procurement of drugs should be within the Provincial Council. Then the District and Divisional Administration should also brought under the Provincial Councils with all villege level officers like gramasevakas.

The Provincial council should have their staff under their control and adequate staff be recruited. This means recruitment, disciplinary control etc are within the Provincial Councils.

The Provincial council should be free from outside interference.
This is only the first step.

Thanks for admitting that he is a god. I bet you right now that he is probably have Buddha seated in front of him having some fine Ceylon Tea discussing the future of the Sinhalese people.

After he is done with the discussion, he certainly will be departing the planet to serve his purpose as the Great Sun God.

Response to #13.

OK, Let us talk about what we do know for sure.

Thamilchelvan and Col. Charles (Shanmuganathan Ravishankar)…. They are still scraping the body chunks of these Two TOP level TERRORISTS off the Floors Of Non-Existant Eelam…

LTTE has lost the East.

FACTS,….

Bunker Rat is running for his life… it will be only a matter of time before the Great Sun God departs the Planet…

Keep on dreaming. There is nothing wrong with dreaming. Good luck in paying of the debts and cleaning out the mess in the island.

You will never learn; APRC introducing the 13 amendment as the solution just created a wave of support for the Tigers from the western intellectuals. Let’s see what happens from here.

As for a media blanket over the war theatre by GOSL, makes even your assumption that SL Forces got the upperhand is SPECULATIVE.
Just like SL Forces have changed their mode of operation in the war front, LTTE also been anticipating the same and had 6 years to prepare.
Either way, 150,000 strong SL Forces are held back by a meagre 3000 strong LTTE. The same IPKF which saturated their forces for every meter of the Peninsula, SL Forces would also be spread out wide in the coming months. The point is that the village youth from both sides are made cannon fodder while you and your Tamil brothers who look both the same for us are fighting for what? Just like Preisdential Candidate prospect Barack Obama said, it’s a conflict of the “Other” and not a TERRORIST problem. This has blown the cover of GOSL for wanting a war to end the “Terrorist” problem while the whole world agrees that its a “Political Problem”. Dr.Manmohan singh - Gordon Brown collectively say the same.
You, a UN official and at best the Chairman for Race Relations committee, airing your view in this forum in favour of the current chauvanistic racist GOSL is down right low class.
SL forces may have won a few Battles, and the war is still long way.
I will not write again in this forum until the war is over. If LTTE loses, I will visit you at the UN Building in NY and shout you a beer. Dr. Dayan Jayatilake.
I still don’t believe that LTTE has been pushed to the wall as they were in 1995 - 96 and had to do a “do or die” and captured Muletivu Camp where 1200 SL Forces perished in 3 days.
This time around, the “Do or Die” will take along another 30000 sinhalese with them in the south.
This you can be guaranteed Dr.Jayatilake. The genocide of Tamils since 1956 has to be put in perspective and GOD wouldn’t let Sinhalese get away scot free for their Innocent Tamil blood soaked past. I am sure you will come up with some excuse for the murders, rapes, pogroms that plagued your country since 1956 to date as insignificant and blame LTTE for everything. LTTE is the product of your own doing.
You created this monster and another been given birth and nurtured in the east in the name of TMVP. Already Karuna loyalists are in the make up of eastern LTTE ranks.
The death and destruction that Sinhalese like to see occur is mind-boggling let alone amazes their stupidity.
Enough said, let’s wait and see where the cookie crumbles in the coming years.!!!

we can debate the issue of who is winning the war, till the proverbial cows come home, but those who claim the Tigers are winning should read Col Hariharan, B Raman, the most recent editorial of The hindu, western journalistic asssessments etc. all foreign observers conclude that though casualty claims are difficult to confirm, the Sri Lankan forces clearly have the upper hand. Now obviously , this may change, but that is the ground situation as at present.

as for ” devinda rebuttal”, you hve it very wrong. Gen sarath Fonseka was at kilaly in 2000 where, with a mixed force of 7,000 men, comprisng army and navy combatants, he held off the Tiger offensive. that is recogbised by specialist as the turning point of the 2000 jaffna campaign. i say this as one who had a two hour discussion with retd gen ashok mehta of the ipkf on this subject, and later attended a strategic seminar in delhi ( at which many ex-services chiefs were present) also on this subject. i shan’t name names, but i am well aware of who came to colombo for permission to withdraw the troops from jaffna ( having already lined up buses for the purpose, with the name bords of each unit) and was refused permission and sent back by president chandrika and deputy defemce minister anuruddha ratwatte, who went to jaffna and spent twemty one days there under fire.

You are the one who is High on DRUGS Kiddo…

With No Money anymore from the Diaspora, and no more people to Fight for them,… what are the Tigers going to do this time…? Most insurgencies fail…(Historic FACT!) No one can fight forever… Prabhakaran is no different… Once he Dies, the LTTE will Die with him….

Ado Puththa, don’t quote me stuff from 10 years ago,.. 10 years ago LTTE was not considered a International TERRORIST organization by the International Community. 10 years ago LTTE did not have its Diaspora funding cut buy IC in 40 different countries. 10 Years ago LTTE had men to fight, now they have women Children for the most part and most are not voluntary. 10 Years ago NOBODY even knew Prabhakaran’s movements or could even hit him if they did know,.. now it is a matter of time before Israeli Bunker Busters Bombs dig out this Tunnel Rat. 10 years ago SL armed forces did not have cooperation by Tamil Civilians, now look and see… Everybody (except IDIOTS like you) HATES the LTTE and is waiting for them to be Destroyed. 10 Years ago Arms smuggling from Tamil Nadu to Jaffna was out in the Open,… now All LTTE arms smuggling boats are collecting rust at the Bottom of the Indian Ocean…. and 10 years ago, Tamils Diaspora were supporting the LTTE,… Now look and see how they cannot collect anymore money from them… That is why the SL Army walked through the East… You are deluding yourself puththa, if you think that the LTTE can ever be strong again.