Mass Lankan peace march in London

Krishan D. Bulathsinghala in UK

It was another jubilant victory for patriotic Sri Lankans in the UK when they took to the streets of London waving Lion flags on Saturday.

The mass peace march was organised to commemorate the dawning of peace in Sri Lanka and to show the strength of the Sri Lankan Diaspora in UK. The procession consisted of all races, faiths and all walks of life upholding solidarity amidst threats of LTTE operatives in London.

Despite short notice, crowds gathered in Tothill Street since 11.30 am and started moving at 1.00 pm towards Embankment via Broad Sanctuary, Parliament Square, Whitehall, Downing Street, Back to Victoria, covering two miles of a walk. Some of the banners read ‘Journey towards peace and unity in Sri Lanka and Sri Lankans lets march forward as one nation’.

The march carried a banner of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who launched the victorious humanitarian operations with opposition from certain countries in the West including the UK.

Halfway through the march, a petition with hundreds of signatures, addressed to Prime Minister Gordon Brown was handed at his residence, No. 10, Downing Street. The petition recognised the British Government’s support to eliminate terrorism in Sri Lanka by having listed the LTTE as banned organisation in the UK. It also spoke of shortfalls of the British Government in implementing the Anti-Terrorism Act against LTTE supporters in UK.

It also requested the halting of all Anti-Sri Lankan activities and bringing false allegations based on distorted information.

A few requests are to take action decisively to stop anti-Sri Lankan campaigns organised by the pro-LTTE elements, which leads to polarization of communities destroying the foundations of multi-cultureralism; to support initiatives taken by the Government of Sri Lanka to restore peace and harmony in Sri Lanka which is a former colony, a friendly and a founder member of the commonwealth and to extend UK’s fullest cooperation to Sri Lanka in multi-lateral fora in its endeavours.

Tributes were paid to Sri Lankan Armed Forces personnel and the police who have made huge sacrifices to rescue Tamil civilians and the country from the LTTE.

The march ended at the Embankment with a vote of thanks being delivered by the organisers of the event, Sri Lankans Against Terrorism, UK, who has become victims of LTTE assaults recently.