Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe is determined to fulfill his commitment to the minority Tamil community in the country by fully implementing the 13th Amendment. The 13th Amendment, which was introduced after the India-Sri Lanka agreement of 1987, provides for the devolution of power to the Tamil community. According to presidential officials, President Wickremesinghe intends to address Parliament next week to outline his plan for the full implementation of the 13th Amendment, including granting all possible powers to provincial councils.

This move comes after an all-party meeting held last month, where the President expressed his willingness to grant all powers, except police powers, to the provincial councils. However, the main Tamil party in Sri Lanka, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), insists on holding the long-delayed provincial council elections. The TNA reminded the government of previous promises to grant full powers to the provincial councils. The elections, which have been on hold since 2018 due to attempts to introduce electoral reforms, require a Parliamentary Amendment to proceed.

President Wickremesinghe's commitment to implementing the 13th Amendment was emphasized during his recent visit to India, where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated India's desire to see its full implementation. The President aims to achieve cross-party consensus through Parliament to settle the issue. While some Sinhala majority parties have expressed concerns about granting full powers to provincial councils, fearing it may lead to the separation of the north and east regions, President Wickremesinghe remains steadfast in his pursuit of reconciliation and resolution. Critics of President Wickremesinghe argue that his focus on devolution at a time when the country is facing economic challenges is merely a political tactic to win over Tamil voters ahead of the next Presidential election in 2024.

Sri Lanka has a long history of failed negotiations to address Tamil claims of discrimination and seek political autonomy, which emerged after gaining independence from Britain in 1948. The brutal armed conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) led to the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives and left over 20,000 people missing, including victims from various conflicts throughout the country. President Wickremesinghe's upcoming speech in Parliament is anticipated to shed light on the path forward for the full implementation of the 13th Amendment, as he continues his efforts towards reconciliation and addressing long-standing Tamil grievances in Sri Lanka.