VIDEO: Pro-LTTE protest against President at the wrong Arrival Point…

These photos released by the President’s Media show over 300 Sri Lankan Tamil expatriates and their supporters in the UK who gathered at the Arrivals Point at London’s Heathrow Airport, UK on Monday (Nov 29) night to protest at the arrival of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who came to the UK on a special visit to address the Oxford Union, and also hold discussions with political leaders. The Director of the Policy Research & Information Dept. of the Presidential Secretariat Lucien Rajakaruna said that “they failed in their attempt to make a show of their opposition to President Rajapaksa, not knowing that important visitors such as Heads of State and their delegations do not use the normal passenger Arrivals Point.”

 

 

Full Release;

 

An estimated 300 plus Sri Lankan Tamil expatriates and their supporters in the UK  were gathered in a  demonstration at the Arrivals Point at London’s Heathrow Airport, UK on Monday (Nov 29) night to protest at the arrival of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who came to the UK on a special visit to address the Oxford Union, and also hold discussions with political leaders.

They failed in their attempt to make a show of their opposition to President Rajapaksa, not knowing that important visitors such as Heads of State and their delegations do not use the normal passenger Arrivals Point. They stayed shouting anti-Sri Lankan, anti-Mahinda Rajapaksa and pro-LTTE slogans and displaying pro-LTTE banners for several hours before and after the arrival of the flight with the President around 10 pm on Monday night, which they failed to meet.  Passengers who arrived on several fights on Monday night and those who had come to meet them at the Arrivals Point showed considerable displeasure at the obstruction caused by the demonstrators. 

These pictures of the demonstration were issued by the organizers of the protest, the Tamil Youth Organization (TYO - UK). The TYO-UK and other pro-LTTE organizations are mobilizing support from the pro-LTTE Tamil expatriates and other extremist and anti-Sri Lankan UK citizens and politicians to carry out further protests during the President’s short stay in the UK.

 

 
Lucien Rajakarunanayake
Director
Policy Research & Information