This mas demonstration is a powerful
cry of anger against the Sri Lankan government
and against all those who refuse to
condemn the massacre of Tamils in Sri Lanka.
The killing and maiming of civilians in the Vanni
area has reached unspeakable levels in the last
few days. Government and army spokespeople
say all is justified to defeat terrorism and bring
‘peace’ to the island. They obstruct international
agencies trying to get medical and food aid to the
stricken areas, they block all media coverage.
They hound and even kill journalists and political
spokespeople who tell the truth, criticise the
government and demand an end to support from
foreign powers.
Last week, as thousands blocked Westminster
and then set up a permanent protest outside
Parliament, the ‘Stop the Slaughter of Tamils’
campaign organised a protest outside the Indian
Embassy in London condemning the Indian government’s
support for the war in Sri Lanka. ‘Not
a rupee, not a bullet for the war-mongering Rajapakse
regime!’ was the theme of world-wide
protests on that day – 8 April. “Indian government
– blood on your hands!” shouted the protesters
as they circled India House with their banners.
Now two young Tamil men at Westminster are
following in the footsteps of other desperate Tamil
people in being prepared to sacrifice their lives in
a hunger strike to try and get the British government
to demand a cease-fire. It should not have
to come to this. The Brown government should
have condemned this war long ago and piled on
the pressure for peace to be established and the
rights of the Tamil-speaking people to be honoured.
As Iraq and Afghanistan show, the British
government, too, has blood on its hands.
Mass action vital
The fail ure of the big powers including China,
Japan and the USA, along with Britain, to condemn
the murderous Rajapakse government
amounts to collusion in its crimes. As the famous
Indian writer, Arundhati Roy, has said in a statement
of support for the SST campaign, “their
silence is inexcusable”. We can have no trust in
these governments.
Our campaign supports mass mobilisations
like that of today. We call for students to take
action – sit-ins, school student walkouts, discussions
and debates around the issues. Workers’
action is crucial including strikes and embargoes
of arms and other physical and financial support
to the Sri Lankan regime.
End the war
We demand an immediate end to the war and
the starting of peace negotiations with ordinary
working and poor people at the table to put their
demands. The the Sri Lankan government is killing
for victory. But this will bring nothing but further
strife and conflict. The ‘peace’ they want is
the peace of the graveyard for thousands, of nazistyle
concentration camps for tens of thousands
and a life of unbearable poverty and harassment
for all.
The experience in the East of the island, where
the outcome of so-called elections depends on
money, power and guns, also indicates that the
dictatorial Rajapakse government will bring no
democratic rights to the North, least of all the
right to determine their own future.
Stop the slaughter
Our campaign , ‘Stop the Slaughter of Tamils’,
launched in Chennai, India, last month has already
organised mass publicity and a number of
important protests world-wide. See reports below
Join us in the call for mass action to stop
the war and to fight for genuine democracy.
Come to our meeting next Saturday.
Sign up to the campaign and give a donation to