Sri Lanka: President Vows Reforms to Prevent Ethnic War

Local Editor

Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena marked his first year in office Saturday with a pledge to introduce sweeping constitutional reforms aimed at preventing the island returning to ethnic war.

Sirisena told parliament he wanted a new statute to guarantee the country will not see a repeat of a bloody ethnic conflict that claimed the lives of more than 100,000 citizens between 1972 and 2009.

"We need a constitution that suits the needs of the 21st century and make sure that all communities live in harmony," Sirisena noted, adding that he was ready to shed executive powers in favor of a strengthened parliament.

Besides, he mentioned that: "The extremists in the [Sinhalese majority] south and the [minority Tamil] north have caused the loss of thousands of young lives."

"We must ensure reconciliation and harmony so that we will never go back to war," Sirisena stressed.

However the president, seen as a unifying figure in the until recently conflict-torn island since taking over from strongman leader Mahinda Rajapakse last year, acknowledged the difficulty in crafting a constitution that would satisfy both sides.

Although hardline Sinhalese oppose a federal system that would ensure more political power for minority Tamils, but minorities fear that a "unitary" constitution would see them lose out to the majority Sinhalese, according to Sirisena.

Sirisena came to power partly on the back of support from the minority Tamils after pledging reconciliation and promising investigations into war-time atrocities.

He spoke of political power-sharing as a means to address Tamil demands for autonomy.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team