U.K. Tamils protest outside Downing Street

Hasan Suroor

LONDON: Britain’s pro-LTTE Tamil groups on Monday used the 60th anniversary of Sri Lanka’s independence to launch a high-profile campaign to highlight the “sufferings” of Tamils in the island nation, with a protest outside Downing Street.

The protest, organised by the Tamil Youth Organisation (TYO) was condemned by the Sri Lankan authorities here with a spokesman of the High Commission describing it as “LTTE propaganda”.

He expressed concern that although the LTTE was banned under Britain’s terror laws its “front organisations” were operating freely.

Organisers said the protest was intended to mobilise world opinion against “state terrorism in Sri Lanka”.

Protesters carried banners and raised slogans demanding “justice” for Tamils in Sri Lanka.

“Let us all unite together to save our relations, to ask for our rights,” a leaflet distributed at the rally said.

Barely a few yards away, the British Tamil Forum organised a photo exhibition depicting what it described as the “history of the past 60 years of oppression, ethnic cleansing and discrimination” faced by Sri Lankan Tamils.

“The aim is to educate the second generation Tamils who live in the U.K. and the general public about the plight of Tamils in Sri Lanka. We also intend having this exhibition in other major cities here in the U.K. and in Canada, Australia, United States of America and South Africa during the year,” said Suren Surendiran, a Front spokesman.

He claimed that several public figures, including MPs, were expected to visit the exhibition.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan authorities claimed that two London-based LTTE activists were arrested in Canada on suspicion of stealing “thousands” of credit cards of British customers.

“Toronto Police said two Londoners, Kirubakaran Selvanayagam Pillai (38) and Sethukavalar Saravanabhavan (35), connected with Tamil Tigers and arrested there may have stolen information of thousands of credit cards of U.K. customers,” the Sri Lankan High Commission spokesman Walter Jayawardhana said.

Source: The Hindu