Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong met with TNA Opposition Leader R.Sampanthan yesterday to discuss the political and economic situation in the North and East.
During their meeting, Opposition Leader Sampanthan said that “the present powers that are given to the Provincial Councils are inadequate,” and publicly urged President Maithripala Srisena Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to work together to deliver a new Constitution this year.
“The President and the Prime Minister (need) to educate the Sinhala people on the new Constitution and to remove the unnecessary fears being spread among the Sinhala people,” he said, according to a TNA statement.
Sampanthan also said Sri Lanka should remain “united, undivided, and indivisible.”
“We will not accept a deceptive solution, we want genuine power-sharing arrangements where people will be able to exercise powers with regard to matters that are related to them in daily life,” he said.
“Unfortunately as a country we have gone on the wrong path,” he added.
Sampanthan asked Prime Minister Lee to appeal to Singaporean investors to invest in the country’s North and East.
“The young people in the North and the East are hardworking and dedicated, but unfortunately due to the war they have been deprived of jobs and opportunities to develop their skills,” he said.
Sampanthan said that Trincomalee specifically, with its natural harbour, would be a prime location for investment.
Prime Minister Lee said he would visit Trincomalee on his next visit, and added that he was “thankful to the Tamil people of Sri Lanka” for the contribution they had made toward the development of Singapore.