Lankans in Netherlands demonstrate against LTTE

Sri Lankans belonging to all communities, living in the Netherlands and other European cities gathered opposite the Parliament of The Netherlands in The Hague on Saturday to protest against terrorism in general and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)›s atrocities against humanity in particular.

The demonstration was preceded by a Peace March towards the Parliament.

Although similar demonstrations have been held in major European countries, this is the first ever demonstration in The Netherlands. The Sri Lankan community in The Netherlands felt it was high time they expressed their concern to the authorities of The Netherlands against LTTE violence in Sri Lanka as the LTTE was allegedly making The Netherlands the hub of their activities.

It was also aimed at drawing the attention of the Dutch authorities to the increasing LTTE propaganda activities including fundraising in The Netherlands clandestinely by its front organisations.

At the end of the demonstration, a memorandum on the objectives of the event namely to highlight the increasing LTTE killings of innocent people in Sri Lanka, to solicit the Dutch authorities' solidarity towards the peace efforts of the Government and to completely ban all LTTE activities in The Netherlands, was submitted to the Government. Copies of the memorandum were also sent to the Prime Minister and other political personalities.

Over 350 Sri Lankans participated in the demonstration. The demonstration was peaceful and attracted the attention of the Dutch authorities and the expatriate community in The Hague.