13th Amendment to be implemented with full powers excluding police powers: Prez

by Ruwani Fonseka in The Morning, July 19, 2023
President Ranil Wickremesinghe has stated that the 13th Amendment will be implemented with full powers, except Police Powers, subject to agreement among political parties in parliament.
Outlining his plans for the devolution of power, President Wickremesinghe said that the 13th Amendment with full powers, except Police Powers, as outlined under List 1, will be implemented including specified functions in List 3 in the provincial councils list.
Meanwhile, a draft law for the Office of National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR) has been sent to the Attorney General for constitutionality review, and is due to be presented to Parliament shortly, the President’s Media Division (PMD) reported.
The national action plan on reconciliation drafted by ONUR is also due to be presented to Cabinet soon.
Furthermore, the Interim Secretariat for the Truth Seeking Mechanism was established with the Director General being appointed.
Accordingly, applications are invited for key staff to facilitate stakeholder consultations and draft guidelines, while the formal mechanism in this regard will commence after the necessary law is enacted.
Moreover, the President also discussed the Anti-Terrorism Bill during a meeting with Tamil Parliamentarians representing the North and East.
Speaking in this context, the Head of State said that the Drafting Committee is expected to review the EU proposals on 18 July, adding that the Bill will be re-gazetted after all relevant amendments have been discussed and appropriate action is taken.
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