TPC forms Sub Committee To draft proposals for new constitution

The Tamil People's Council (TPC) formed its first subcommittee to draft proposals to the proposed new Constitution. The TPC's second meeting since its inception on 19 December was held at the Jaffna Public Library Auditorium yesterday. Northern Chief Minister C. V. Wigneswaran chaired yesterday's meeting accompanied by cochair members Dr. P. Lakshman and T.Vasantharaja of Batticaloa Civil Society. People's Liberation Organization Tamil Eelam leader and the TNA Parliamentarian D. Sidarthan also participated at the TPC meeting along with the EPRLF Leader and former TNA Parliamentarian Suresh K. Premachandran.

Soon after the meeting Chief Minister Wigneswaran and his two other cochair members held the TPC's first press briefing at the Library Auditorium where Wigneswaran reiterated that the TPC was not a political party and it was an organization formed to voice for the political aspirations and to address the humanitarian issues of the people in the North and East. Forming of the first subcommittee at the yesterday's meeting Wigneswaran said that the committee would comprise fifteen members. "The subcommittee will commence making its preliminary draft proposals to the proposed new Constitution on 2 January 2016 and it is expected to complete the final draft by end of March 2016. The second Committee is expected to be formed shortly which would look into the issues related to alleged war crimes," Wigneswaran said. Meanwhile the Opposition and the TNA Leader R. Sampanthan and Chief Minister held a special meeting with regard to the formation of the TPC at the residence of Kanaga Eswaran PC last week. Both leaders agreed that they were able to discuss on the misunderstandings between them and the meeting was cordial. The efforts are also mooted to narrow the differences between the TNA and the TPC by several prominent civil society figures in the North and East.