Tamil parties protest in Colombo

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 April 2001, 15:12 GMT]
More than four hundred Tamils demonstrated against sexual violence by the Sri Lankan security forces in the heart of downtown Colombo Tuesday. The protest was led by an alliance of eleven Tamil political parties, including the Tamil United Liberation Front. " We are not, through this demonstration, making an appeal to the government. We believe that there is no point in appealing to this government about atrocities committed by the security forces against the Tamils. We doing this to impress upon the world our predicament" said the chief organizer of the demonstration, Mr. Mano Ganeshan who is the leader of the Democratic Workers' Congress.

The demonstrators stood in the monsoon drizzle holding placards and shouting slogans denouncing the sexual atrocities by the Sri Lankan security forces against Tamil women in front of the Fort Railway Station.

"Is it a protecting force or a sexual force?" the demonstrators shouted in Tamil. Sinhala Policemen and passersby who didn't understand the Tamil slogans and placards looked on curiously.

The Tamil political leaders also said that the government should negotiate with the Liberation Tigers and end the conflict.

Mr. Mavai Senathirajah, TULF MP for Jaffna, Mr. Selvam Adaikkalanathan, MP for Vanni, (leader of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation), Mr. A. Vinayagamoorthy All Ceylon Tamil congress MP for Jaffna, Mr. Dharmalingam Sidharthan, leader of the People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam, Mr. Suresh Premachandran, leader of the Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front were among the Tamil party leaders who were at the demonstration Tuesday.