COLOMBO, Sri Lanka November 16, 2012 (AP) - M.A. Sumanthiran, a lawmaker for the Tamil National Alliance, said that the U.N. must investigate the civilian deaths as a way to make amends for its failures. "They (U.N) must take steps to put right what went wrong even after three and half years later by the U.N. system itself," Sumanthiran said. "We are renewing our call for an independent investigation. An independent investigation can only be an international inquiry," he said, adding the U.N. despite its failure must ensure justice to the victims.

By Elizabeth Joseph, CNN, November 16, 2012 - The Tamil National Alliance, Sri Lanka's largest Tamil political party, on Thursday called for an international inquiry into a U.N. failure to protect civilians during the final stages of the country's bloody 26-year civil war. The request comes a day after the United Nations admitted that it didn't protect hundreds of thousands of civilians, mostly ethnic Tamils, trapped in areas of heavy shelling in Sri Lanka, a teardrop-shaped island nation off India's southern coast. "The internal inquiry report that has now come to light says the U.N. failed civilians by leaving the area," M.A. Sumanthiran, the Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian, told CNN.

AFP, 15 Nov 2012 - SRI Lanka's main Tamil party has demanded an international probe after the UN admitted it failed to protect thousands of civilians killed by troops in the final phase of the country's conflict in 2009. The moderate Tamil National Alliance said the report published by UN secretary general's office confirmed its long-standing allegations of widespread killing and incarceration of civilians. "Now that the UN has come with this report we want action," party spokesman MA Sumanthiran told AFP on Thursday. "There should be an international inquiry. The government as the main accused party cannot be involved in the investigation."

WASHINGTON (AP) 04 November 2011 - Sri Lanka's main Tamil opposition party has told senior U.S. officials that the island nation's government is not serious about power-sharing and probing allegations of war crimes, a visiting lawmaker said Friday. "The message that we have given is that we are disappointed and disillusioned at the Sri Lankan government's failure to show the political will" in sharing political power and postwar rehabilitation, lawmaker M.A. Sumanthiran told The Associated Press. Sumanthiran said more than 200,000 of those Tamils have been unable to return to their homes, and are staying in makeshift shelters or with host families. He also complained about a still-pervasive military presence in the region and occupation of land.

By M A Sumanthiran MP (TNA) - SJV Chelvanayakam Memorial lecture 2011 - For a power-sharing arrangement to be successful, people in their provinces and regions must have a say in their own political destiny. But their participation and exercise of the powers of governance must be real and not fanciful. So far no real attempt has been made to change that flawed structure of government and make it real and accessible to the Tamil People. The present Constitution with all its amendments needs to undergo a radical change if it is to provide the Tamil People full and equal access to government as an expression of their citizenship. The pseudo devolution of powers one finds in the present Constitution is not real and not entrenched and does more to exacerbate the conflict than address its causes. Thus, we will do well to re-visit the vision of Thanthai Chelva, of a country in which every citizen has the space to exercise his or her full and equal right to citizenship and by that contribute to the lasting advancement and flourishing of all her Peoples.