Lanka tells India devolving powers to provinces not possible

Sri Lanka's thirteenth amendment was introduced in 1987 as a result of direct Indian intervention to try and resolve the ethnic impasse in the island.

“There have been five different governments in the
country during that period. None of them felt fully able to implement it”, Peiris said as having told the Indian side.

“We made it crystal clear that devolution of police powers is not acceptable. It has nothing to do with ethnic considerations,” Peiris said.

He said Sri Lanka conveyed to the India that attribution
of police powers to a province “wheresoever in the country was undesirable for matter of policy”.

Peiris' statement in parliament was in response to a query raised by the main opposition leader Ranil
Wickremesinghe on matters discussed with the new Indian government.