Ethnic Tamils in Australia protest against Lankan Government

Sydney, Mar 29 (ANI): Hundreds of Tamil community members gathered in the centre of Sydney to protest against the Sri Lankan Government's treatment of Tamils.

The Tamil Youth Organisation said the "visual protest" using coffins, barbed wire and dolls representing civilians caught up in the conflict is aimed to draw attention to "the horrors of ethnic cleansing through art" by drawing on elements of dance and theatre.

More than 800 ethnic Tamils from Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra made their way from Martin Place to Town Hall in what was the latest in a series of global protests denouncing the alleged genocide of Tamils by the Sri Lankan Government.

"If we do not act now, an entire race of people will be terminated in a matter of months," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted organiser Jana Sivaram, as saying.

Last week, the United Nations also called for both sides to halt the conflict to allow humanitarian aid to reach between 150,000 and 190,000 people caught in the crossfire as the Sri Lankan Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam fight for control of the country's north-east. (ANI)