Statement by the Sri Lanka Sovereignty Forum

The Sri Lanka Sovereignty Forum expresses its deep concern and categorical opposition to the recent statement made by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, pledging to fully implement the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.

Such a declaration represents not merely a political position, but a direct challenge to the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of the Republic of Sri Lanka. 

The 13th Amendment was imposed under foreign duress in 1987, without the consent of the Sri Lankan people, and remains one of the most divisive and externally engineered constitutional impositions in our post-independence history.

Key Concerns:

1.    Externally Imposed Amendment:

The 13th Amendment and the Indo-Lanka Accord were products of Indian coercion, signed under threat of military intervention. It cannot be regarded as a legitimate act of sovereign consent.

2.    Threat to National Unity:

The devolution of land, police, and administrative powers to Provincial Councils risks creating quasi-separatist regional structures, undermining the unitary nature of the State safeguarded by Article 2 of the Constitution.

Further, Article 9 enshrines the duty of the State to protect and foster the Buddha Sasana — an obligation that cannot be divided across nine provinces or subjected to regional authority.

3.    Contradiction to the Spirit of the Constitution:

Successive Supreme Court rulings and constitutional experts have affirmed that sovereignty is indivisible. Any attempt to transfer core powers of the State to regional units compromises the constitutional supremacy of Parliament and national security.

4.    Irresponsible Political Opportunism:

At a time when Sri Lanka requires strong national unity, economic stability, and disciplined governance, such promises — made to appease foreign interests or secure minority votes — are reckless and dangerous.

Our Position:

The Sri Lanka Sovereignty Forum reiterates that:

·      The 13th Amendment must be reviewed, not expanded.

·      National security and territorial integrity must take precedence over political expediency.

·      Devolution must never become division.

·      True reconciliation can only arise from equal citizenship, economic empowerment, and unified national identity, not from federal-style fragmentation paving to separatism. The unilateral declaration of independence in 1990 is an example that cannot be forgotten.

We urge all political leaders to act with patriotism and foresight, resisting all forms of external pressure and partisan manipulation that threaten the sovereignty of Sri Lanka. The people of this nation have sacrificed too much to protect her unity to allow any leader to barter it away for political gain.

We urge citizens to pledge allegiance with political parties & politicians who undertake to protect the territorial integrity & sovereignty of Sri Lanka not be agents for foreign nations.

Sri Lanka Sovereignty Forum
Guardians of the Nation’s Unity and Independence