Protesters clash with police as thousands of Tamils lay siege to Parliament

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 1:32 PM on 07th April 2009

Police and protesters have clashed at the Houses of Parliament today as thousands of Tamils lay siege to the centre of London.

Rescue boats have also been put on alert amid fears the protesters - flying the flag of the terrorist Tamil Tigers - may leap en masse from Westminster Bridge if they are not allowed to speak to Gordon Brown.

There were four arrests today as the protesters were hemmed in by more than 100 officers.
Police were caught off guard by the surprise demonstration after organisers used their mobile phones to alert thousands of supporters by text message.

One man jumped off the bridge yesterday evening after up to 5,000 protesters converged on Parliament yesterday afternoon to protest over the Sri Lankan government's offensive against the rebels.............

Article, photos & comments here:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1168178/Protesters-clash-police-thousands-Tamils-lay-siege-Parliament.html

Four arrests as Tamil protesters threaten mass jump into Thames

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Police made four arrests today as Tamil protesters threatened to jump into the Thames unless they could speak to Gordon Brown.

Some 500 demonstrators occupied Parliament Square, sparking fears that they could try to storm the entrance to the Commons.

Shouting and carrying banners condemning the Sri Lankan government's offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels and alleged human rights abuses, they were hemmed in by more than 100 police officers.

Overnight up to 5,000 people - including women and babies - forced the closure of nearby Westminster Bridge by staging a sit-in.

The bridge was reopened to traffic at around 9am.

Two men jumped into the Thames as police tried to persuade the crowd to disperse, but they were not believed to have been seriously injured....

....The Sri Lankan government has rejected international calls for a ceasefire, claiming it is on the verge of defeating the Tamil Tigers rebel group, which is fighting for an independent homeland.

However, the United Nations said up to 150,000 people are trapped in the war zone in the north of the country.

The protesters said the lives of thousands of civilians in Sri Lanka's northern Mullaithivu district are in danger.

Vijay Mahalingam, 28, of Harrow, said: "We are here to call on the British Government and other governments of the world to wake up to the problems in our homeland, Sri Lanka.

"Last week, the most powerful men in the world were here in London but there was no mention of the struggle lots of our people have to face on a daily basis."

Article, photos & comments:

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?Four_arrests_as_Tamil_protesters_threaten_mass_jump_into_Thames&in_article_id=613161&in_page_id=34

Tamil hunger strike in third week

By Ray Furlong
BBC Radio 4's PM programme

Huddled under blankets in the middle of London's Parliament Square, a lone Tamil protester is starving himself to death - and as he explains in a voice weakened by hunger, he is not afraid.

Protests in Parliament Square are not supposed to be allowed, but it has not stopped Tamils mounting a demonstration there for nearly three weeks.

They want the British government to intervene and push for an end to the civil war in Sri Lanka.

And in the middle of it, lying in a tarpaulin bivouac and unable to lift his head is 28-year-old Prarameswaran Subramaniam.

'Poison gas'

"I want freedom for my people," he explains, his voice weak and cracked. "And the price for that freedom? - my life.".................

Complete article here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8015199.stm