Tamil Americans to hold rally in Washington

Lalit K Jha

Washington, Feb 18 (PTI) Tamils in the US will hold a
demonstration in front of the State Department and the White
House here on Friday protesting against the "genocide" against
their community in Sri Lanka.

'Tamils Against Genocide', a pro-Tamils organisation,
will organise a rally and hunger strike to urge US President
Barack Obama to bring an end to the "genocide" in northern Sri
Lanka, where the Army and LTTE are engaged in a war.

"Tamils have been systematically attacked and
brutalised since the government ordered international aid
agencies out of the region last September," the group said in
a statement.

"Tamil civilians have come under intensive artillery
shelling, aerial bombardment and gunfire in the conflict zone
in Vanni, with hundreds being killed daily," it said.

Tamil Americans and their friends would descend on
Washington to fast in solidarity with Tamils in Sri Lanka, who
are experiencing a food crisis according to the World Food
Programme, it said.

"The Sri Lankan government has completely refused
access to this (northern) region for humanitarian aid, food
convoys, medical supplies, journalists and other international
observers," the group said.

"The rally and hunger strike will showcase the
desperate nature of the situation and plead for President
Obama's direct involvement in ending genocide on his watch,"
the statement said.

The announcement of rally comes a day after Sri Lankan
Ambassador to the US Jaliya Wickramasuriya appealed to the
international community, the US in particular, to exert
pressure on the LTTE to release the remaining innocent
civilians currently being held captive by them.

"As the LTTE terrorists continue to put innocent
civilians who seek safety from the conflict zone in harm¹s
way, we urge the international community and especially the
United States to put pressure on the leadership of the
LTTE to immediately release the remaining civilians held
captive in the conflict zone," the Sri Lankan Ambassador said.

Wickramasuriya said the Sri Lankan Government is
alarmed by the LTTE terrorists desperate tactics to disrupt
the safe passage of innocent civilians fleeing from the
conflict zone. PTI