スリランカの民族紛争の歴史を辿っているのですが、非常に重要な事項を調べたので記録しておきます。それは「Bandaranaike - Chelvanayagam Pact（1957）」というもので当時のスリランカの首相バンダラナイケとタミール人政党党首の「チャルバナヤガン」の間で締結された「民族紛争」を解決しようとする意思に基づいた協定です。 この協定は１９５７年７月２６日に締結されました。しかしこの協定は翌年の１９５８年４月９日に一方的に破棄されます。以下のこの協定の内容と破棄にいたる過程を記しておきます。

「Bandaranaike - Chelvanayagam Pact（1957）」

PartA（抜粋）

After discussion, it was agreed that the proposed legislation should contain recognition of Tamil as the language of a national minority of Ceylon, and that the four points mentioned by the Prime Minister should include provision that, without infringing on the position of the Official language as such, the language of the administration of the Northern and Eastern Provinces be Tamil, and that any necessary provision be made for the non-Tamil speaking minorities in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

東部・北部では「タミール語」を公用語として認める方向。


Part B

1. Regional areas to be defined in the Bill itself by embodying them in a schedule thereto.

2. That the Northern Province is to form one regional area whilst the Eastern Province is to be divided into two or more regional areas.

3. Provision is to be made in the Bill to enable two or more regions to amalgamate even beyond provincial limit; and for one region to divide itself subject to ratification by Parliament. Further provision is to be made in the Bill for two or more regions to collaborate for specific purposes of common interests.

4. Provision is to be made for direct election of regional councillors. Provision is to be made for a delimitation commission or commissions for carving out electorates. The question of M.P.s representing districts falling within regional areas to be eligible to function as chairmen is to be considered. The question of Government Agents being regional commissioners is to be considered. The question of supervisory functions over larger towns, strategic towns and municipalities is to be looked into.

5. Parliament is to delegate powers and to specify them in the Act. It was agreed that regional councils should have powers over specified subjects including agriculture, co-operatives, lands and land development, colonization, education, health, industries and fisheries, housing and social services, electricity, water schemes and roads. Requisite definition of powers will be made in the Bill.

6. It was agreed that in the matter of colonization schemes the powers of the regional councils shall include the power to select allottees to whom lands within their area of authority shall be alienated and also power to select personnel to be employed for work on such schemes. The position regarding the area at present administered by the Gal Oya Board in this matter requires consideration.

7. The powers in regard to the regional council vested in the Minister of Local Government in the draft Bill to be revised with a view to vesting control in Parliament wherever necessary.

8. The Central Government will provide block grants to the regional councils. The principles on which the grants will be computed will be gone into. The regional councils shall have powers of taxation and borrowing.

北部・東部地域においてのある程度のタミール人自治を認める。当該地域における直接選挙による首長の選出、あるいは選挙で選ばれた首長等への中央政府からの権限委譲の保障などを規定するものであった。

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協定破棄の顛末は以下のようです。

On the morning of April 9 (1958) a police message reached Mr Bandaranaike warning him that about 200 bhikkus or monks and 300 others were setting out on a visitation to the Prime Minister's residence in Rosmead Place to demand the abrogation of the Pact. They would arrive at 9 a.m.

The Prime Minister left the house early that morning to attend to some very important work in his office. The bhikkus came, the crowds gathered, the gates of the Bandaranaike Walawwa were closed against them and armed police were hurriedly summoned to throw a barbed-wire cordon to keep the uninvited guests out. The bhikkus decided to bivouac on the street. Pedlars, cool-drink carts, betel sellers and even bangle merchants pitched their stalls hard by. Dhana was brought to the bhikkus at the appointed hour for food.

In the meantime, the Prime Minister was fighting off the opposition to the Pact among his own party colleagues with desperate fury.

At 4.15 p.m. the B-C Pact was torn into pathetic shreds by its principal author who now claimed that its implementation had been rendered impossible by the activities of the Federalists.

The Prime Minister had gone home that afternoon accompanied by half a dozen Ministers who stood on the leeward side of the barbed-wire barricade while Mr. Bandaranaike listened to the shrill denunciations of the monks. The Minister of Health sat on the Street facing the monks and preached a sermon, promising them redress if they would only be patient. The Prime Minister consulted his colleagues. The monks had won. The Magic Pact was no more.

But the monks insisted on getting this promise in writing. The Prime Minister went into the house and the Health Minister, hardly able to suppress the look of relief on her face, brought the written pledge out to the monks.

Yet another victory for Direct Action had been chalked up."

１９５８年４月９日午前９時２００人の仏教僧を含む５００人の民衆が協定破棄を求めて首相府に押し寄せた。この民衆の反対だけでなく、与党内からも協定破棄を求める声が大きく首相は苦しい立場に置かれていた。首相は盟友達からの反対、仏教層からの反対に抗しきれず、前年締結した協定を破棄せざるを得なくなってしまった。

因みに「バンダラナイケ首相」はもともとはキリスト教徒の家庭に生まれているが後年仏教徒に宗旨変えを行っている。バンダラナイケ首相は仏教の教えに基づき「タミール人勢力」との融和を進めたのであるが、皮肉にも仏教徒の反対によってその協定を破棄することになってしまった。

バンダラナイケ首相はその後１９５９年に過激派仏教党の手により暗殺されることとなる。享年６０歳。このバンダラナイケ首相の長女が前スリランカ大統領の「チャンドリカ」である。