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tamil nadu
& Tamil Eelam freedom struggle
Thirumavalavan courts arrest with thousands
of cadres
- and calls on India to stop proxy war
TamilNet, Thursday, 23 October 2008
 [see
also 1. Dalit Panthers of India Leader T
Tirumavalavan visits Jaffna to salute Tamil Eelam - "I want a Tamil
Government... I want a Tamil country... That country I dream of
is coming up in Sri Lanka's Jaffna. I went there to salute that
land.." 2. The Hindu Targeted in Tamil Nadu - Statement by N.
Ram, Editor-in-Chief, The Hindu and 3.Tamil Nadu Going Eelam Way?]
In a state-wide railway blockade of a scale
that has not been witnessed in recent years in Tamil Nadu, Viduthalai
Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) President Thol. Thirumavalavan courted arrest
Thursday 23 October morning with thousands of his cadres urging the Indian
Government to stop the genocidal war against the Tamils within the next
twenty-four hours. He said that the ongoing war in the island was "clearly a
proxy war being waged by the Indian Government through the Sinhalese forces"
and he urged upon New Delhi to put an end to it at the earliest.
The VCK leader said that Tamil emotions could run riot if the Union
Government failed to understand, respect and recognize the ambitions of the
Tamil people.
Thirumavalavan warned New Delhi that in case the war was not stopped by
October 28, the deadline set up the State Government during the all-party
meeting, his party would be forced to intensify its agitation. He also told
media persons that all cadres of the VCK were willing to face all
consequences of their activities in order to stop the war that was taking
lives of innocent Tamil civilians.
In the capital city of Tamil Nadu alone, the VCK cadres blocked trains in
three different railway stations: Chennai Central, Basin Bridge Junction and
Chennai-Arakkonam station. The VCK President blocked trains at the Basin
Bridge Junction and was arrested with one thousand cadres.
The protests saw incidents of violence and police action, but the party
cadre were undeterred as they courted arrested in hundreds in all major
cities in the state of Tamil Nadu including Madurai, Tiruchi, Salem,
Virudhachalam, Villupuram, Cuddalore, Erode, Karaikudi, Thirunelveli and
Thanjavur. Television footages from India showed visibly charged young
cadres and members of the VCK lying on railway tracks and climbing on all
trains.
In Madurai Railway Station, the Rameswaram Express was set on fire by
unidentified elements during the VCK protest. An entire carriage has been
charred and fire-fighters were hard at work to douse the fire. In
Virudhachalam, police resorted to lathi charge unable to control the
enthusiastic cadre and party members.
VCK Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Ravikumar courted arrest at
Cuddalore. Joint-General Secretary Chola Nambiar, Ideological Wing Secretary
Gautam Sannah, Headquarters Secretaries Vanniarasu and Paavalan,
Spokesperson Aarvalan and District Secretaries Kabilan, Ilanchezian,
Veeramuthu, Vanachezian and Selvam courted arrest in Chennai. Other
prominent activists who courted arrest were Tamil Nationalist Movement
leader Thiyagu and film-actor Mansoor Ali Khan.
Railway traffic was affected and delayed by several hours in various parts
of the state.
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