Approximately a thousand Tamils gathered in solidarity on Sunday 21st May at Trafalgar square between the hours of two and six in the afternoon. They stood united, undeterred by the rain for the freedom of Tamils in Sri Lanka.
Approximately a thousand Tamils gathered in solidarity on Sunday 21st May at Trafalgar square between the hours of two and six in the afternoon. They stood united, undeterred by the rain for the freedom of Tamils in Sri Lanka. The Campaign for Truth and Justice organized this demonstration:
Sri Lankan Tamil’s uniting to voice their commitment to Autonomy
Date : Sunday, 21-05-2006
Place: Trafalgar Square, London
Time: 2.00 – 6.00 PM
Four years on from the Cease Fire Agreement in 2002 between GOSL (Government of Sri Lanka) and LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam), many of the terms have not been adhered to by the GOSL.
In the last rounds of talks in Geneva on 24th February 2006 The GOSL agreed to bring about Peace and to disarm the paramilitary who are working against the Cease fire agreement. However, the government has failed to achieve this.
This protest is to highlight to the world the current hard-line approach taken by the GOSL towards Tamils in Government controlled areas of North and East Sri Lanka; such as the continuing displacement, arbitrary arrests and numerous disappearances, killing of innocent civilians, rape, preplanned ethnical mob attacks and arson attacks.
Please come and join us in showing solidarity in voicing the need for independence for the Tamils in North and East Sri Lanka.
The rally was held in conjunction with the recent EU decision to ban LTTE delegates from entering EU countries and branding them as terrorists. Guest speakers voiced their opinions about the EU ban and Tony Blair’s participation in turning his back on the Tamil people. It was also a call for international recognition of the atrocities upon Sri Lankan Tamils by the Sri Lanka government.
One of the speakers expressed the need for a self sustainable route for the Sri Lankan Tamils and that even if the LTTE have been branded as terrorists, the Tamils still have the right to demand justice.
Another speaker defended the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) imparting his belief that only the Tigers can liberate the Tamils, and if they are so called ‘terrorists’ that are a great threat ‘they could have killed not 700 government soldiers but 7000’.
With respect to how it affects Tamil Diasporas who support the Tamil Elam cause, which is to ultimately liberate Sri Lankan Tamils from Government prosecution. They will be labeled as assisting in the aid of terrorism. The many Tamil who have been lucky enough to escape the atrocities and injustices of Sri Lanka, will once more have their rights infringed upon in regards to their concerns of their brothers and sisters left behind. The irony is that many left Sri Lanka in hope that they may assist the cause through democratic procedures in liberal states, yet such a liberal state as the United Kingdom has condemned the Tamils and put them in the same situation that they were in Sri Lanka.
A petition was sent around collecting signatures against the EU ban of the LTTE in hopes that the current government will reconsider their decisions as labeling the LTTE as terrorists.
The flyer stated: Save Sri Lankan Tamils from Genocide.
Sri Lankan government is bombing and shelling its Tamil Citizens.
Civilians are being targeted by Sri Lankan Army and Navy and killings take place with impunity… for further information please visit:
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=18171
For more information about the EU ban and its repercussions upon the Sri lankan tamils please visit:
http://www.sangam.org/taraki/articles/2005/10-25_EU_Moratorium_and_its_Effect_on_the_Peace_Process.php
http://www.tamilnet.com.
BBCnews http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4147766.stm
Daily news reports in North and East Sri Lanka and further background information can be found on:
http://www.ltteps.org/
http://www.tamilnet.com.
www.tamilcanadian.com
Sri Lankan Tamil’s uniting to voice their commitment to Autonomy
Date : Sunday, 21-05-2006
Place: Trafalgar Square, London
Time: 2.00 – 6.00 PM
Four years on from the Cease Fire Agreement in 2002 between GOSL (Government of Sri Lanka) and LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam), many of the terms have not been adhered to by the GOSL.
In the last rounds of talks in Geneva on 24th February 2006 The GOSL agreed to bring about Peace and to disarm the paramilitary who are working against the Cease fire agreement. However, the government has failed to achieve this.
This protest is to highlight to the world the current hard-line approach taken by the GOSL towards Tamils in Government controlled areas of North and East Sri Lanka; such as the continuing displacement, arbitrary arrests and numerous disappearances, killing of innocent civilians, rape, preplanned ethnical mob attacks and arson attacks.
Please come and join us in showing solidarity in voicing the need for independence for the Tamils in North and East Sri Lanka.
The rally was held in conjunction with the recent EU decision to ban LTTE delegates from entering EU countries and branding them as terrorists. Guest speakers voiced their opinions about the EU ban and Tony Blair’s participation in turning his back on the Tamil people. It was also a call for international recognition of the atrocities upon Sri Lankan Tamils by the Sri Lanka government.
One of the speakers expressed the need for a self sustainable route for the Sri Lankan Tamils and that even if the LTTE have been branded as terrorists, the Tamils still have the right to demand justice.
Another speaker defended the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) imparting his belief that only the Tigers can liberate the Tamils, and if they are so called ‘terrorists’ that are a great threat ‘they could have killed not 700 government soldiers but 7000’.
With respect to how it affects Tamil Diasporas who support the Tamil Elam cause, which is to ultimately liberate Sri Lankan Tamils from Government prosecution. They will be labeled as assisting in the aid of terrorism. The many Tamil who have been lucky enough to escape the atrocities and injustices of Sri Lanka, will once more have their rights infringed upon in regards to their concerns of their brothers and sisters left behind. The irony is that many left Sri Lanka in hope that they may assist the cause through democratic procedures in liberal states, yet such a liberal state as the United Kingdom has condemned the Tamils and put them in the same situation that they were in Sri Lanka.
A petition was sent around collecting signatures against the EU ban of the LTTE in hopes that the current government will reconsider their decisions as labeling the LTTE as terrorists.
The flyer stated: Save Sri Lankan Tamils from Genocide.
Sri Lankan government is bombing and shelling its Tamil Citizens.
Civilians are being targeted by Sri Lankan Army and Navy and killings take place with impunity… for further information please visit:
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=18171 For more information about the EU ban and its repercussions upon the Sri lankan tamils please visit:
http://www.sangam.org/taraki/articles/2005/10-25_EU_Moratorium_and_its_Effect_on_the_Peace_Process.php http://www.tamilnet.com. BBCnews
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4147766.stm Daily news reports in North and East Sri Lanka and further background information can be found on:
http://www.ltteps.org/ http://www.tamilnet.com. www.tamilcanadian.com
e-mail:
