Lankan issue: Leaders to hold huge demo Jun 16

Chennai, Jun 13 (UNI) After a long silence, leaders of political parties and various Tamil organisations in Tamil Nadu, have rallied to raise their voice in support of the Sri Lankan Tamils, and condemn the attacks on them by the island's armed forces.

The leaders, who were allegedly restrained from extending moral support to the LTTE and the Sri Lankan Tamils during the previous AIADMK regime, have joined hands to organise a massive state-wide agitation on June 16, seeking the Centre's intervention to stop the 'atrocities on the Tamils by the island forces.' Tamil National Movement leader P Nedumaran, who was now on bail after his arrest under the now defunct POTA by the previous AIADMK Government, called for the agitation to demand the Centre depute a delegation of MPs from all political parties on a ''fact finding mission'' to the Tamil areas.

Dr S Ramadoss, Founder-Leader of Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), a constituent of the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre and Marumalarchi DMK (MDMK) General Secretary Vaiko are among the host of leaders who would take to the streets on the vexed issue.

'The Centre could not shirk its responsibility and remain a mute spectator to the large scale human rights violations that were taking place in the Tamil areas,' Dr Ramadoss had said and urged the Centre to restrain 'Sri Lanka's oppression' of the Tamils and ensure they lived in peace with all their rights.

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