With the Olympic circus rolling into town, Stratford in East London has become a hive of exitement and activity. A short walk from the hustle and bustle of the Olympic park another congregation is occuring, albeit one with a far less celebratory atmosphere.
n a small tent at one end of a busy shopping street, veteran activist Gobi Sivanthan has been observing a hunger strike since July 22nd. In this makeshift camp, Mr Sivanthan, joined by a crowd of around forty other protestors, hopes to draw attention to the plight of Sri Lankan Tamils by refusing all food until the close of the Olympic games on August 12th.
The Tamil population of Sri Lanka have been subjected to what protestors refer to as a sixty year campaign of oppression and genocide, culminating in the events of 2009 when the civilian population was caught up in a brutal conflict between government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels. While maintaining an official policy of “zero civilian casualties”, it is alleged that the Sri Lankan military intentionally bombarded a series of no fire zones and medical facilities. UN estimates suggest that as many as 40,000 non-combatants were killed over a period of three months.
The protesters believe that countries facing allegations of war crimes should be barred from competing in the Olympics. The timing of the protest to coincide with the games is intended to highlight this fact.
[quote align=”right” color=”#b64736″]The protesters believe that countries facing allegations of war crimes should be barred from competing in the Olympics. The timing of the protest to coincide with the games is intended to highlight this fact.[/quote]
In light of as yet unfulfilled UN recomendations that a rigorous investigation into the conduct of governement forces be initiated, one of Mr Sivanthan’s fellow protesters, Siva, emphasised the importance of bringing wider public attention to the situation in Sri Lanka. He also stated the desire of all involved in the camp to see an inquiry into the role of Sri Lanka’s president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, in initiating the events of the late 1990s.
Amongst other demands, the protesters are calling for the suspension of Sri Lanka from the Olympics, the halting of all deportations of Sri Lankan Tamil asylum seekers, and the establishment of an independent international inquiry into allegations of war crimes commited by the Sri Lankan government.
According to Siva, the camp has been consistently attracting between forty and fifty attendees on a daily basis, and the expectation is that several hundred British Tamils and supporters will take to the streets of Stratford on August 12th as the protest concludes.
http://www.tamilsagainstgenocide.org/
by Sam Jones
