Sri Lanka heads for collision course with India: Report

Colombo, June 12: Sri Lanka has told India it will not concede key land and police powers to provincial councils under a New Delhi-initiated political plan aimed at resolving the long-drawn Tamil issue, a media report said today (June 12), warning that it could bring the two sides on "a collision course."

President Mahinda Rajapaksa told a visiting top Indian delegation yesterday that the key police powers and control over land cannot be given to provincial councils established under the 13th amendment that deals with devolution of powers.

"The government's tough stance in not giving land and police powers to provincial councils is expected to pitch Colombo and New Delhi on a collision course diplomatically," the Sunday Times newspaper said.

There was no immediate comment from the government which did not issue any statement after Rajapaksa held a breakfast meeting with National Security Adviser Shivshanker Menon, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar.

The troika was also accompanied by India''s High Commissioner here, Ashok Kanth.

Menon told Colombo-based Indian reporters just before the top Indian officials left here that Sri Lanka would build on the 13th amendment which was a result of the 1987 Indo-Sri Lanka peace accord.

PTI