Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) Leader and Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Opposition MP Mano Ganesan on 16 December had requested International Climate Change Advisor to President Ranil Wickremesinghe Erik Solheim to use his experience and expertise to assist Sri Lanka to achieve a lasting solution within an undivided country.

Ganesan told The Morning that although Solheim is currently an advisor to the President, he has played an important role as the Chief Mediator from Norway in the Sri Lankan civil war. 

“I explained to him about the new situation in Sri Lanka. I said that we have all made mistakes and learnt lessons. With that in mind, I told him to try to advise his friend, President Wickremesinghe, on the national crisis also, so that we do not make the same old mistake again. The other thing I said, as usual, is that there had been some developments since the 2005 period when they entered negotiations, as the failure of the negotiations led to the worsening of the war. Since then, for the last 17 years, the hill-country Tamil community has emerged as a national community. The days of identifying them as ‘plantation workers’ are gone for good,” he added. 

He further said: “First, it was the Tamils of the North and the East and the Sinhalese who were engaged in dialogue. Then, the Muslims were accommodated as another party to the national issue. Now, there is a fourth party that has come in; therefore, don’t forget them or try to ignore them. You must advise Wickremesinghe on this. Whatever new arrangements are made, we need our rightful place.”

Ganesan further said that Solheim had informed him that he would take note of such and keep the same in mind.