On Lanka I-Day, British Tamils demand rights

British Tamils marked the 60th anniversary of Sri Lankan independence on Monday with a several-hundred strong Downing Street demonstration demanding "real freedom" and "real rights" for the community, even as the protestors were branded members of the LTTE, which is banned in the UK.

Meanwhile, at least 14 people were killed in two roadside bombings in Sri Lanka on Monday, as the island's president marked independence day by insisting he was winning the war against Tamil Tigers. In an address to the nation, President Rajapakse said the "challenge bestowed upon us by history is the defeat of terrorism," and said government forces had cornered the LTTE)in the north.

The demonstration was called by the Tamil Youth Organisation (TYO), which is spread across eight European countries, Canada and the US. Tamil sources said British and European politicians were expected to attend.

It came as the British Tamils Forum organised a photo exhibition near the British parliament with the professed aim of educating the second-generation of Tamils in the UK about "the past 60 years of oppression, ethnic cleansing and discrimination that largely the Tamil community has faced at the hands of the sovereign state of Sri Lanka". Expatriate Tamil angst has swelled in recent weeks, after Colombo formally ended a 2002 cease-fire with the rebel LTTE.

But Sri Lankan sources criticized the Downing Street protest as yet another instance of the banned LTTE managing to hoodwink the British authorities. According to sources, the protest, which reportedly drew at least 400 people, was organized by AC Shanthan, who allegedly heads the LTTE here and Golden Lambert. Both the main organizers are said to have formerly been arrested under Britain's anti-terrorist laws and are allegedly out on bail at present. Both men are said to be prominent fund-raisers for the LTTE.

The TYO organized a well-attended rally in central London's Hyde Park in July 2006. Sources said Shanthan and Lambert were subsequently arrested under Britain's anti-terrorism laws which ban monetary and moral support for a proscribed organization by way of speeches and fund-raising. The British Tamil Forum said it intended its photographic exhibition to travel to several major cities in the UK, Canada, Australia, the US and South Africa.

Source: indiatimes.com