Tamil Councillors to stage peace vigils across London boroughs

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 September 2006, 06:58 GMT]
British Tamil Councillors and Associates (BTCA) will be holding peace vigils across 32 London boroughs on the Inernational Day of Peace on Thursday, September 21, urging for "Peace with Dignity" for the Tamils of Sri Lanka, the cross-party Council members from Greater London region said in a Press Release. The organisation has called for a "peaceful resolution that recognizes the Tamil people's right to self-determination and fulfills the legitimate aspirations."

"Disregarding a Norway facilitated peace process, the present Sri Lankan government has embarked on a campaign of terror killing hundreds of innocent Tamils," the councillors said.

"Since the island of Sri Lanka gained independence from Britain, the Tamil people have been facing oppression at the hands of consecutive Sri Lankan governments for over half century."

The British Tamil Diaspora is urging Britain to apply "tangible pressure" on the Sri Lankan government, a signatory to the UN resolution declaring 21 September as International Day of Peace, to abide by the resolution and "conform to the Norwegian facilitated ceasefire and work towards a peaceful solution that recognizes the Tamil peoples’ right to self-determination and fulfills their legitimate aspirations."

The BTCA, chaired by Councillor Thaya Idaikkadar, said that it would be the first time in England for a community to hold an even across 32 boroughs simultaneously.

Peace vigils are scheduled, starting from the moment of silence on International Peace Day, till 8:00 p.m.

The International Day of Peace, established by a United Nations resolution in 1981 to coincide with the opening of the General Assembly, was first inaugurated on the third Tuesday of September, 1982. Beginning on the 20th anniversary in 2002, the UN General Assembly set 21 September as the date for the International Day of Peace.