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LTTE readies for big ‘show’ ahead of Heroes’ Day, LLRC reportOctober 13, 2011, 10:09 pm
By Shamindra Ferdiando
In the wake of declining support for the LTTE’s separatist cause, UK Tamils are planning a series of protests in major cities, beginning on Oct 29, targeting the Sri Lankan government ahead of annual Heroes’ Week events to commemorate those who died fighting for the group.
Organizers are trying to mobilize support among the UK-based Tamil Diaspora in support of the campaign. External Affairs and intelligence sources told The Island that the LTTE was making an attempt to sustain its anti-Sri Lanka blitz parallel to a section of the international community targeting the country on the diplomatic front.
While referring to a recent Canadian move against Sri Lanka at the recently concluded Sessions of Human Rights in Geneva, External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris warned his Cabinet colleagues that some countries seemed to want to relentlessly pursue action against Sri Lanka. "To this end, we will need to consistently engage and lobby the international community," Prof Peiris said in a special report to the Cabinet, which dealt with President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s visit to the 66th UNGA in New York.
Sources said that the UK was likely to be the venue for some large scale protests, with the organizers planning to screen ‘Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields’ in Manchester (Oct. 27), Stoke-on-Trend (Oct. 31), Birmingham (Nov. 2), Coventry (Nov. 3), Milton Keyes (Nov. 5), Luton (Nov. 6) and London (Nov. 7). Responding to a query, sources said that the organizers had declared that they wanted the UK government to end ‘military rule’ in the Tamil ‘homeland’, haul those responsible for war crimes before an international war crimes tribunal et al.
Protestors are planning to launch their protest in Manchester on Oct. 29 and reach London on Nov. 7 for a meeting, which is expected to be the biggest since the violent protests directed at the visiting Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in early December 2010 and the SL High Commission in London.
Sources said that ‘Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields’ produced by Channel 4 News for telecast by Channel 4 last June had now become the LTTE’s main propaganda tool, with Amnesty International, the International Crisis Group and Human Rights Watch, showing the 50-minute documentary in world capitals.
Sri Lankan diplomats said that the LTTE was making a desperate bid to sustain its campaign until the release of the much awaited LLRC report, before Nov. 15, 2011. Sources said that the LTTE would go ahead with its Heroes’ Day celebrations on Nov. 27 as part of overall efforts to revive the separatist campaign. Sources said that different LTTE factions were likely to organize Heroes’ Day celebrations, with Norway headquartered Nediyavan’s group calling for several events in Germany (Helmut konisshalle, Stobelallee 42, 44139 Dortmund), UK (Excel London, One Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock,London, E 1 6 1XL), Switzerland, France (Viparis-Le Bouget- Hall S, 96, Avenue de La Division, Leclerc-93350, Le Bourget). Sources said that the LTTE would also organize events in Canada and Norway, though the group was yet to make a public announcement regarding the forthcoming events.
They said that despite the LTTE being a proscribed organization in 32 countries, the group continued with commemorative events, with the latest being a memorial meet for ‘Second Lt’ Malathy killed in action on Oct. 10, 1987 against the IPKF in Jaffna. The Canada Tamil Women’s Organization also remembered the first Woman Sea Black Tiger ‘Captain’ Angayarkkanni, ‘Brigadier’ Thurga, ‘Brigadier’ Vithusha, Kumarappa, Pulenthiran killed at an event held at Canada Kanthasamy Kovil Hall, 733 Birchmount Road, Scarborough and Montreal, 300 Marcel Lavin, Montreal QC.
Meanwhile, on Oct. 12, India sent back the UK-based Global Tamil Forum (GTF) leader Fr. S.J. Emmanuel, when he arrived in Chennai via Dubai. He flew back to Dubai.