As attacks by the national army in Sri Lanka have intensified, so do the protests around the world. After the news of thousands of civilian deaths in Sri Lanka at the weekend, which the UN has described as ‘a bloodbath’, British Tamils began a civil disobedience protest on Monday (11.05.09) in the hope that the British government might put genuine and decisive pressure on Sri Lanka to stop the atrocities it is currently committing. Five hundred began the protest at Parliament Square early in the morning. Thousands more joined them, at which point they moved onto Westminster Bridge and closed it off to traffic. Police officers were taken by surprise. The blockade lasted until mid-afternoon, at which time police resorted to physical attacks on people in an effort to clear the bridge.
More than 300,000 Tamils are currently under siege by the Sri Lankan forces. Aerial bombardments and shelling of civilians are continuing. Children and elderly are dying as a direct result of the aerial bombardment. There has been increased violence in Sri Lanka following the capture of Tamil territory. It is estimated more than 75,000 people have already died in the conflict.
Upcoming: Tamil solidarity event this Sunday (17.05.09)
Previous features: Large Protests Erupt In Support Of Tamils | Tamil Blockade at Parliament (IMC London)
On the newswire: Estimate 1700 Tamil civilians killed 3000 injuried in 48 hrs in Sri Lanka | Civil Disobedience Protest By British Tamils Met With Police Brutality | Tamils Blockade Parliament Square Again (photos) | Tamils Blockade Parliament Sq (photos) | Bloodbath unfolding in Sri Lanka | Tamil blockade of Parliament Monday 11th May (photos) | "State terror in Sri Lanka - a Tamil perspective" today at Resonance 104.4 FM | Tamil protesters take to streets as the GENOCIDE of there people gose on | Urgent, westminster blockade happening now | Tamils genocide: More than 2,000 civilians feared slaughtered in a single night
Photo by Filkaler, originally published on London Indymedia
The British Tamils Forum have appealed to the British government to do all they can to stop the massacre of Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka, the fatal and final stage of the genocide of Tamils. The organisation says they have received reports from the ‘safe zone’ in Northern Sri Lanka which confirm that over 3,200 civilians have been killed and thousands more have been injured in the 'past twenty four hours alone'. (11.05.09) Rescue workers fear that the critical shortage of medicine and lack medical facilities will add to this death toll. Sources further confirm that the Sri Lankan forces continue to bombard the ‘safe zone’ with K-fir jets, multi-barrel rocket launchers, cannons and cluster bombs.
Meanwhile at the homefront Metropolitan Police continue to be criticized for their heavy handed approach in dealing with the protesters. "It wasn’t until 3 o'clock in the afternoon that the police began to seriously challenge the blockade. Women with children in pushchairs had placed themselves at the front of the crowd, in the hope that this would deter the police from attacking them. Eyewitnesses report that the police responded by taking the children out of the pushchairs by force and removing them to nearby police vans, which succeeded in forcing the parents to leave the blockade so as to reclaim their children. Women and youngsters of around ten and eleven were still at the front of the protest, and the police then began attacking them. An eyewitness reported that the police were pushing women’s breasts and striking out at children with their fists. It is said that representatives of the Tamil media outlet GTV were also targeted by the police and attacked physically." Taken from report by Daniel.
Comments
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erghh
16.05.2009 12:50
iVICA
swp and stwc
17.05.2009 10:19
even there front group the stop the war coalition is willing to sit by as they feel what is happening here wont get them any new recruits in to there party to help them sell papers.
remember,
trots worse then date rape.
roddes
All hostages rescued
17.05.2009 11:43
Troops have rescued all remaining civilians held hostage by LTTE terrorists; revealed military spokesperson Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara a few minutes ago today (May 17). He said that troops have rescued over 50,000 civilians during last 72 hours.
Await more information ...
Fact checker
Strange way to rescue 'hostages'...
17.05.2009 15:25
little tiger
A genocide of little interest.
17.05.2009 15:38
Stop the Wonkers
Rescue.
17.05.2009 19:39
Troops have rescued all remaining civilians held hostage by LTTE terrorists; revealed military spokesperson Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara a few minutes ago today (May 17). He said that troops have rescued over 50,000 civilians during last 72 hours."
These are the facts.
The Sri Lankan government have waged a war against the Tamil people in order to undermine the LTTE. They did this after going to the International Community and asking for tacit support of IC members. This was given by, among others, the British UN envoy Sir John Sawyers.
After receiving the tacit support of the IC, the Sri Lankan government sent its trrops into the North to engage the LTTE. This operation was backed up by two devices long promised to the GOSL. One, an IMF loan of $1.9 Billion and two, promise from the IC to 'shadow' the conflict with diplomatic efforts to bring the LTTE to a compromise solution.
The operation got underway and before long the inexpert nature of GOSL forces proved to be quite wreckless in their execution leading to loss of tactical control.
As a result, the IC's efforts fell short and the operation continued on in ad hoc fashion until things were pretty much out of control.
Throughout, the IC throughout the world have done little of note to halt what has become a humanitarian disaster. The UN state that the death toll from the conflict is around 6,500. Due to the hapless nature of the planning around this operation, the inexpert nature of GOSL forces in its execution and the IC being unable to muster effective International diplomacy, this death toll must be expected to be far higher than claimed, either by the IC or the GOSL.
There have been notable exceptions regarding help given to the Tamil people in the north, most notably from the International Tamil dispora and their supporters but in the main, the massacre has passed off relatively unapposed.
As a direct result of the inexpert prosecution by the GOSL, hapless stupidity of the IC and largely inefectual resistance of the public, the GOSL are now faced with a mass exodus of Tamil people that it cannot house, feed, treat medically or offer security.
The end result of this is that the GOSL will enter a period of endemic weakness, structural failure and severe sanction from the worlds trading hubs. In larger part, the prime blame for this lies with GOSL supporters who encouraged the GOSL to proceed without proper planning, funding, concensus of IC and who continued to offer propaganda in place of constructive and lucid critique. A fact severely aggravated by Sri Lankan President, Mahinda Rajapaksa. Mr Rajapaksa's leadership since 2004 has been continually problematic for ordinary Sri Lankans. The island has yet to recover from the tsunami that struck the country in December 2004. The nations economy continues to struggle at a time when revenue from tourism is likely to plummet.
Sri Lanka is about to become the Southern Indian continents basket-case through a process of withdrawal of International trade, political isolation within the immediate region and a resurgent Tamil diaspora that number close to 80 Million people world-wide.
In the not too distant future, we might well be finding that the Sri Lankan people as a whole, may be facing an internal crisis that we in the IC will be largely hesitant to tackle without assurances that Mahinda Rajapaksa reign over the Sri Lankan people will have to be brought to an end.
Chact Fecker.
Think again.
17.05.2009 20:04
Fact Checker.
"All propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach. "
Adolph Hitler.
Not so.
new parliament square blockade 18th may
18.05.2009 23:14
this report gets edited with updates regularly
rikki
Act Now for Sri Lankans...Act Now For Tim Martin...
07.06.2009 00:23
>>> Please forward >>>
Power to the Peaceful
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From Dana Amma Day at Positive TV >>>
Please watch and share my appeal to as many as you can to see if we can reach the international community on this urgent matter:
My appeal is found at you tube link below:
My name is Dana and I am an accidental tv journalist.
I set up Positive TV 3 years ago to address the balance of the news agenda which I felt was so set in the negative and was not addressing the many positive breakthroughs and solutions that address the global emergency we find ourselves in.
However:
On Tuesday 2nd June I was reporting on the launch of The Global Peace Index 2009 that was launching at Central Hall, interviewing Steve Killelea, the businessman and philanthropist who as an individual set up and funded the index as up until this time in history Peace had not been measured.
I felt that this index was a positive solution towards working towards peace. Peace has never been more critical as population growth and security of resources of food and water become ever more stretched.
Positive TV then went out and about Westminster to interview people about peace, whilst out and about I literally stumbled upon Tim Martin - a British Aid Worker on his 16th day of hunger strike in bed in Parliament square. I was very shocked to find him there a bright young man who having witnessed the horror in Sri Lanka has returned to England to raise awareness to the terrible atrocities that are going on there. In a last desperate act of awareness he is now close to losing his own life.
His demands to end his hunger strike are listed below.
I am not an authority on war, but I am a compassionate human being and can not understand why the situation and terrible atrocities that are taking place today in Sri Lanka, particularly to orphan and female children are being swept under the carpet by the international community.
I can not, having discovered Tim in Parliament Square, let him die with out his message being heard.
So I have recorded this plea to reach out to those who are in position to speak with him or help him with his requests, which seem very reasonable to me.
For me the Sri-Lankan conflict is at the heart of the matter of the crisis in humanity and that this issue needs to be urgently addressed on a matter of Human Rights issues and to look for solutions in such conflict resolutions.
Please can you share my appeal - I would so appreciate your urgent help and support on the matter
Many thanks
ACT NOW DIRECTOR, A FORMER AID WORKER, ON HUNGER STRIKE IN LONDON
Tim Martin, a former aid worker and the Campaign Director of Act Now, is on an indefinite hunger strike outside Parliament, London since Monday 18th May. Tim is calling upon US President Obama to intervene in the crisis in Sri Lanka and has presented a clear list of demands to protect the civilian population from further devastation. Tim’s full letter to the American president was delivered to the American Embassy on the first day of his hunger strike.
www.act-now.info
See also Tim's appeal to the international community:
Dana Amma Day
CEO, Positive TV
In covering all aspects of human activity, Positive TV looks to broaden the global conversation and raise the questions on what sort of future you want to create. At a time when we may feel overwhelmed by the negative prognosis for the future of humanity and the planet, Positive TV looks to reach across generations and energise us at this critical time where we believe we are on the verge of a new renaissance.
You’ll find topics ranging from food and farming, energy and transport, education and sustainable communities, new economics and design, peace and conflict resolution, the arts, health, spirituality, books, spiritual, films and music.”
www.positivetv.tv
>>>>>>>>>>
For more information or to offer any sort of help, please contact me as below...
G*
Gareth Strangemore-Jones
NAP: News And Pictures / Positive TV
NAP: News And Pictures is a freelance news agency and photo library. For more, see www.newsandpictures.co.uk
Positive TV is an online broadcast TV station full of refreshingly positive news and features. For more, see www.positivetv.tv
Are you ready for WorldShift?
www.worldshift2012.org
Gareth Strangemore-Jones on behalf of Dana Amma Day
e-mail:
gareth@newsandpictures.co.uk
Homepage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XQtYLpT68M&feature=channel_page