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united kingdom
& the Struggle for Tamil Eelam
Tamils Demonstrate against Sri Lanka's Violation of Human Rights
& Reiterate Demand for an Independent Tamil Eelam
Trafalgar Square, London 14 July 2007
Thousands of British Tamils demonstrated on Saturday, 14 July
2007 (between 11.30 a.m. and 3p.) in Trafalagar Square,
London calling on the UK to apply pressure to halt human rights
abuses by Sri Lanka�s security forces and to recognize the right to
self-determination of the Tamil people. The rally in Trafalgar
square was organized by councilors of Tamil origin in the London
area. The protestors were addressed by two UK parliamentarians, Mr.
Keith Vaz (Labour) and Mr. Simon Hughes (Liberal Democrats) and two
MPs of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Mr. K. Sivajilingam and
Mr. Chandrakanthan Chandra Nehru, as well as some of the organizing
councilors.
தமிழ்த் தேசியக் கூட்டமைப்பின் யாழ். மாவட்ட நாடாளுமன்ற உறுப்பினர்
எம்.கே.சிவாஜிலிங்கம், அம்பாறை மாவட்ட நாடாளுமன்ற உறுப்பினர் சந்திரகாந்த்
சந்திரநேரு ஆகியோர்
ஆற்றிய உரைகள்
Among the councilors who addressed the event were Ms. Sasikala
Suresh, Mr. Thaya Idaikadar, Mr. Yogan Yogarajah and Ms. Eliza Maan.
The speakers condemned
the ongoing human rights abuses against Sri Lanka�s Tamils by
the security forces there and urged the British government to
pressure the government of President Mahinda Rajapakse to halt the
atrocities.
Some speakers appealed to the international community to
recognize the
Tamil people�s right to self-determination, saying self-rule was the
only way to safeguard their wellbeing. Thousands of people attending the
rally signed a petition addressed to the British government.
A resolution passed at the event declared:
�On this day, the 14th of July 2007, we, the many thousands who have
assembled in London's Trafalgar Square, have come together to severely
condemn
the ethnic cleansing, killings, abductions, torture and other human rights
abuses
that the Sri Lankan Government is carrying out against the Tamils of the
island as well as those who tell the truth about the state's vicious
activities and those who come to the aid of the Tamils.
�In one voice, we declare that the only way
the
language,
lands and culture of the Eelam Tamils, as well as
their basic rights, may be safeguarded, is through the
establishment of the independent state of Tamil Eelam, as
the Tamil people so emphatically
demanded in 1977.
�Witnessing the widespread ethnic cleansing and torture and
human rights abuses occurring in Sri Lanka today, we
reiterate that remains the only choice for the Tamil people,
and we reaffirm our continuing and wholehearted support for
this cause -
the establishment of Tamil Eelam.
 �We
ask that the countries of the world that respect truth and
justice, the United Nations and similar organisations that
represent these countries, and human rights organisations,
to condemn the human rights abuses perpetrated by the Sri
Lankan Government. �We ask that they see the injustice of
dismissing as
so-called terrorism this
legitimate and just struggle for our people�s freedom
from
racial oppression.�
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