A. Jathindra
Recently, a Sri Lankan political delegation travelled to Switzerland at the invitation of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). Organized jointly by the Peace and Human Rights Division (PHRD) and the Embassy of Switzerland in Colombo, the trip aimed to provide participants with a firsthand understanding of Switzerland’s unique constitutional system.
The delegation visited several Swiss cities, where they explored the country’s political framework. In Bern and Murten, they engaged in discussions on federalism, direct democracy, and inclusive approaches to linguistic and cultural diversity with Swiss lawmakers as well as representatives from federal, cantonal, and communal authorities. Tamil political leadership was represented by Members of Parliament Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam and Dr. Sathiyalingam, along with Suresh Premachandran, leader of the Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front. According to Tamil media reports, the Swiss Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Dr. Siri Walt, also recently briefed M.A. Sumanthiran, General Secretary of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK), on the program held from September 14 to 21.
During this meeting, the Ambassador also mentioned that representatives of the National People’s Power who participated in the Swiss trip expressed their willingness to engage with the Tamil parties in seeking a solution to the national ethnic question based on the federal system. Representing the NPP were Minister Dr. Upali Pannilake, Secretary Nihal Abeyasinghe, Deputy Minister Munipar Mulappar, Members of Parliament Chandima Hettiarachchi, Nilanthi Kotagachchi, Samanmalli Gunasinghe, and Jaffna District Member Kabilan Sundaramoorthy.
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