New Zealand MP, HR activists address fasting Tamils

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 May 2006, 06:16 GMT]
A New Zealand Parliamentarian, Keith Locke, pledged continued support to Tamil rights, and a Human Rights activist, Marie Leadbeater, addressing the Tamils who held a fasting protest Monday at Aotea Square in Auckland city, hightlighted the significance of Tamils right to self-determination, said the organisors of the campaign, the Consortium of Tamil Associations in New Zealand (CONTAZ).



The fasting protest was organised as part of the global Tamil diaspora campaign, against the recent spate of violence by the Sri Lankan soldiers and the Sri Lankan military operated paramilitaries.

Cameron Walker, an upcoming peace activist in New Zealand, also spoke encouraging the Tamil community to keep on promoting their cause in Tamil homeland.

The protest began at 8:00 a.m. Monday and concluded at 6:00 p.m.

Hundreds of participants took part in the fast protest amidst the rainy weather, and the active engagement and participation of the second-generation expatriate youths was significant, the organisors of the protest, noted.