Protest against police expulsion of Tamils held in Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 June 2007, 14:55 GMT]
Human Rights Organizations and various political parties jointly staged a protest demonstration at Lipton Circle in Colombo Friday noon, condemning the forced expulsion of Tamils from Colombo Thursday by Sri Lanka police, sources in Colombo said. Parliamentarians of Tamil National Alliance, Western Peoples Front, New Leftists Front, Sama Samaja Party and leaders of Human Rights organizations, National Peace Council, National Front Against War, Free Media Movement and members took part in the demonstration which lasted for an hour and a half.



Around 500 Tamils were forcefully expelled from the lodges in Colombo Thursday morning by the Sri Lankan Police, and a further 300 were detained in Pettah (Peaddai) police station due to lack of transport. Persons lodged in Colombo for medical treatment, travel, family re-union, study and in search of jobs, were packed in 8 buses and sent out of Colombo to the east and Vavuniyaa with Police escort. Three buses to Vavuniyaa and 5 to Batticaloa, carried the expelled Tamils.

Tamil National Alliance parliamentarians, Selvam Adaikalanathan, Mavai Senathirajah, K.Thurairetnasingham, Chandrakanthan Chandra Nehru, Sivasakthy Aananthan, Vinotharathalingam, Kitnan Sivanesan, K. Pathmanathan, and Mano Ganeshan, Western Peoples Front MP, President of New Leftist Front, Wickremabahu Karunaratne, Srithunge Jayasuria of Sama Samja Party, Deputy Minister R. Rathakrishnan, National Peace Council President, Jehan Perara, Kumar Rupasinghe from National Front Against War, Sunantha Deshapiriya, president of Free Media Movement were among the many demonstrators.

The protesters bearing placards raised slogans against the expulsion of Tamils.

At the end of the protest demonstration a memorandum was sent to Sri Lanka's President Mahintha Rajapakse.

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