Peace activists rally in Colombo

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 May 2006, 13:23 GMT]
More than one thousand peace activists from National Peace Council (NPC), representatives from its branches in all districts, and members from organizations that advocate, peace, democracy and human rights, belonging to all ethnic communities protested against the killing of innocents in a deteriorating situation in Sri Lanka that is leading towards war, at Lipton Circle Monday between 11:00 a.m. and 01:00 p.m, sources in Colombo said.

Assembling to protest under the "People's voice for peace," program, the protesters also accused the state and local media for publishing news and information that created a "sense of terror, suspicion and war mentality among the people."

The protesters also said that although the "aspirations of overwhelming majority of Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim people were for a sustainable peaceful solution to the ethnic conflict," the leaders of the parties to the conflict are pushing Sri Lanka towards war.

The demonstrators urged the parties to comply with the Ceasefire Agreement and to commence peace talks immediately.

"The LTTE accuse the Government and the armed groups working with them, as being responsible for the killings of Tamil people in the northeast and other areas whilst the Government and other groups accuse the LTTE as being responsible for those killings including those of the armed forces and other sections of the people. It is a matter of regret that there is no mechanism in place, whereby a transparent and impartial inquiry can be held and the culprits made know to the people," a memorandum issued by the NPC said.