Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe agreed to a list of 10 demands laid out by the Tamil National Alliance in return for support in defeating a No Confidence Motion, claimed parliamentarian Selvam Addaikalanathan.

The Island reported the TNA MP as stating there had been a “heated argument and tension” at a meeting between the TNA and Mr Wickremesinghe’s United National Party before the motion was debated in parliament on Wednesday.

Mr Addaikalanathan said that they had eventually agreed on the prime minister conceding to 10 demands laid out by the TNA. The demands, reproduced by The Island, are below.

(1) providing a political solution to the North-East problem expeditiously

2) enactment of a new Constitution with a two-thirds majority in Parliament before the next national election

3) ensuring that the military vacates all property belonging to civilians

4) a general amnesty to all political prisoners

5) probing the wartime disappearances

6) protecting of rights of those living in the Northern and Eastern Provinces

7) employment for youth living in the Northern and Eastern provinces

8) ensuring that those who are not resident in the North and the East will not be employed in the two provinces at the expense of eligible candidates there

9) appointing Tamils as Divisional Secretaries of eight Northern and Eastern administrative districts and

10) taking into consideration views of members representing Northern and Eastern Provinces in respect of development projects as well as priority for projects undertaken by the Northern and Eastern Provincial Councils.

His comments come after Tamil civil society members called on the TNA to ensure Tamil political demands were met in return for its support.