Protest against Sri Lankan President in Tamil Nadu

Activists of Hindu Makkal Katchi (a political outfit in Tamil Nadu) staged a protest in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore city on Friday against Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa for not allowing the United Nations Committee to investigate into the war crimes that were committed at the end of Sri Lanka’s 25-year conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE).

The protestors raised slogans against Rajapaksa and demanded his immediate arrest for committing war crimes and human rights violations in Sri Lanka.

They said the Rajapaksa-led Government killed thousands of innocent Sri Lankan Tamils during the last phase of war in Sri Lanka.

“The Sri Lankan President has committed many crimes against the Sri Lankan Tamils and that is why he is not letting United Nations Committee to investigate into the serious war allegation against him,” said Arjun Sampath, a protestor.

“His real intention behind his moves is to bulldoze any attempt of UN. To establish their point he is backing attacks on the UN office resulting in the UN authorities to decide to get out of the country, which is highly unacceptable,” he added.

The protestors said the hunger strike march of Sri Lankan Housing Minister Wimal Weerawansa from the UN compound to the Russian embassy to condemn UN in Colombo on Friday was organised by Rajapaksa.

The protestors further said the UN should send international peacekeeping force to Sri Lanka to investigate all war crimes against Rajapaksa and he should be presented before the international court.

Sri Lanka view the UN panel as a violation of its sovereignty and a hypocritical application of double standards by Western Governments engaged in the war on terror.

The United Nations has already said this week that the panel will proceed with its work despite the protests, but UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said that UN chief Ban Ki-moon has made it clear that the grouping was ‘advisory and not adversarial’. - (ANI)