Thimpu principles

The Thimpu principles or Thimpu Declaration were a set of four demands put forward by the Sri Lankan Tamil delegation at the first peace talks undertaken regarding the Sri Lankan civil war. The peace talks which were organised by the Indian government took place in Thimphu, Bhutan with Phase I occurring from 8 to 13 July 1985 and Phase II from 12 to 17 August 1985. The peace talks aimed at bringing an end to the Sri Lankan civil war between Tamil militant groups and the government of Sri Lanka. The declaration made by the Tamil delegation at Thimphu, in response to a government proposal, has come to be known as the Thimpu Declaration or Thimpu principles.

Introduction

The Sri Lankan government delegation consisted of Hector Jayawardene, three lawyers, and an attorney. The Tamil delegation consisted of representatives from the Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front, Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam, Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation and Tamil United Liberation Front.
The Sri Lankan government delegation proposed draft legislation for devolution of power but this was rejected by the Tamil delegation, arguing they failed to recognize the Tamil people's right to a homeland or self-determination and instead sought to maintain Sri Lanka's sovereignty and territorial integrity through constitutional amendments requiring a two-thirds parliamentary majority. On 13 July, the Tamil delegation responded, issuing the Thimpu Declaration, which outlined four key demands. The four cardinal principles became known as the Thimpu principles.

Thimpu Declaration

The declaration stated:
The Sri Lankan government rejected all but the last principle as they violated Sri Lanka's sovereignty.
The peace talks collapsed on 18 August due to the intransigence of both delegations.