Sri Lankan government minister says setting up senate was proposed by APRC

The establishment of a senate was proposed by the All Party Representative Committee (APRC), the committee appointed by the Sri Lankan President to find a solution to the ethnic issue, a senior minister has said.


APRC Chairman and Senior Minister, Tissa Vitharana has said the final report of the Committee had recommended the establishment of a senate.

Vitharana has told the media that the APRC has suggested the setting up of a senate comprising 75 members with 63 members elected - seven each - by the nine provincial councils, 10 to be elected by the 63 PC members and two from minority communities appointed by the President.

Vitharana's comments come when representatives of the government and the major Tamil party, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) are continuing its discussions on a power devolution mechanism with focus being paid to the establishment of a senate.

The government delegation had discussed the composition, power, and formation of a second chamber or senate among other issues at yesterday's discussion with the TNA.

The government spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said yesterday that a new political body had had been proposed at the ongoing talks and the modalities regarding the proposal were now being examined and worked out.