Asian Tribune on London protest
K.T. Rajasingham
One of the important events that laid the initial foundation for the
protest in London against the visiting President, Mahinda Rajapaksa was
the speech made by Nava Sama Samaja Party Leader Dr Wickramabahu
Karunaratne as well as the mutterings by Dr Jayalath Jayawardene MP of
the opposition United National Party.
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Nava Sama Samaja Party Leader Dr Wickramabahu Karunaratne
and UNP parliamentarian Dr Jayalath Jayawardene |
Asian Tribune learnt that these two met a group of British based
Tamil diaspora for a discussion on November 25 in the No 8, Parliament
Committee room of the House of Commons in London.
Nava Sama Samaja Party leader Dr Wickramabahu Karunaratne was
challenged for false propaganda, when he came up with the figure that at
the last stages of the humanitarian operations against the Tamil Tigers,
more than 100,000 innocent Tamil civilians were killed. Ms Rajeswary
Balasubramaniam, a well-known expatriate Tamil writer, who participated
in the discussion told Asian Tribune that she challenged the figure
disclosed by Dr Wickramabahu Karunaratne and asked him whether he could
substantiate those figures.
She told Asian Tribune that she asked Dr Wickramabahu Karunar-atne,
why Sinhalese political leaders like him and Dr. Jayalath Jayawardene
are coming to London and humiliating and condemning the Sri Lanka
President, who is elected by the majority of the Sinhalese voters for
the second time as the President of Sri Lanka.
According to a report “It was a most unlikely and extra-ordinary anti
government alliance between Marxist militant Dr Karunaratne and
“conservative” Dr Jayawardena, surprised the Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim
gathering at the meeting. Many active participants constantly challenged
the “facts and figures” quoted by both speakers.
Dr Wickramabahu addressing the gathering at the “Tamil National
Remembrance Day” held in London in memory of the slain LTTErs, he said,
“I am thankful for the organization of this event for giving me the
opportunity to shed my tears in memory of those who gave their life to
the liberation of Tamil homeland.
He added “They were killed by Sinhala chauvinist governments and the
last but not the least by Mahinda’s regime. Sources in London told
“Asian Tribune” that Channel 4 TV aired the video footage of Ramesh, the
former LTTE Commander of Batticaloa, who succeeded Karuna Amman after
April 2004.
Courtesy: Asian Tribune |
