The 17th Amendment provides for a ten-member Constitutional Council. The Speaker of Parliament, the Prime Minister (PM) and the Leader of the Opposition would become members of the Council by virtue of their positions. The PM and the Opposition Leader will jointly appoint five members, three of whom would be from ethnic minority communities, in consultation with the MPs of minority community parties. Another would be appointed in consultation with the MPs of the other opposition parties. The last member would be a nominee of the President.
The 17th Amendment also provides for the appointment of independent commissions on Elections, Police, Judiciary and Public Administration. The Constitutional Council recommends the members for the four commissions, which would have the legal basis for functioning without interference from the executive.
The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and the People’s Liberation Front (JVP) also voted for the Amendment. The Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) abstained, severely criticizing the major parties for failing to show such unity in solving the main problem facing the island - the 18 year-long ethnic war.
In terms of the August PA-JVP agreement, the new slimline Cabinet of 20 members was appointed by President Chandrika on 14 September. A day earlier, four ministers - GL Peiris, Mahinda Wijesekera, SB Dissanayake and Jeyaraj Fernandopulle - said in a letter of resignation to the President that they were not agreeable to be in the new Cabinet.
The four ministers had openly criticized President Chandrika’s political decisions and even before the letter of resignation it was widely believed that they would not be re-appointed to the Cabinet. In their letter, the ministers said they were concerned about the relegation of peace efforts by the JVP-PA agreement. GL Peiris is particularly bitter about the provision that excludes devolution or any other peace proposal for one year. He has lobbied for power sharing since 1994 and was the architect of the PA government’s devolution proposals.
The Sri Lankan business community is increasingly worried about the state of the economy and the government’s pact with the Marxist JVP agreeing to shelve some of the economic reforms. The developments after the attacks in the US on 11 September have made them even more nervous. Emirates Airways, which owns 40% of SriLankan Airlines and Gulf Air announced suspension of air services to Colombo from 18 September, after war-risk insurance rose by 300% following the Twin Tower attack. This is in addition to the increase in insurance following the LTTE attack on Katunayake airport on 24 July.
In August, the business community led by Lalith Kotelawala launched a citizen’s peace movement. A human chain protest, called "Sri Lanka First" was held on 19 September. Hundreds of thousands of people joined hands in southern Sri Lanka and in some districts of the war-torn north-east, to demand an end to the war and beginning of peace talks. The Sinhalese nationalist Sihala Urumaya was involved in a counter demonstration on the same day in Colombo in support of war with the LTTE.
Senior LTTE leader Vaithialingam Sornalingam or Shanker was killed by a claymore mine near Oddusuddan in Mullaitivu District on 26 September. Mr Shanker was involved in peace discussions with the Norwegian delegation in the Vanni in November 2000. Several LTTE leaders have come under attack in recent months and the Tigers blame a Deep Penetration Unit of the Army. The military have denied involvement.
The killing took place on the death anniversary of LTTE leader Thileepan who died after a protest fast demanding the withdrawal of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) from Sri Lanka in 1987. A Tiger statement says that the attack on Mr Shanker and the date chosen for it highlights the government’s determination to seek a military solution.
The LTTE declared that ‘prospects for peace talks through Norwegian facilitation, stalled earlier through Colombo’s efforts to sideline Mr Solheim, have been further set-back by the killing of this senior LTTE cadre’. The ominous tone of the statement has worried peace activists.
Colombo observers say the Sri Lankan government is disappointed that the US government has expressly excluded the LTTE in the current war against terrorism. The spokesman for the US embassy in Colombo, Stephen Holgate said that the LTTE cannot be compared to the Middle East groups because unlike the latter the LTTE has specific political demands and wanted to negotiate. Mr Holgate also said that there would be no change in the US policy of calling on the Sri Lankan government to enter into peace talks with the Tigers.
The LTTE, however, would remain on the US list of Foreign Terrorist Organisations. On 5 October, US Secretary of State Colin Powell extended the ban on the LTTE for another two years. The Tigers were included in the list in October 1997.