Movement against CHOGM in Sri Lanka : Thiagu on fast unto death strike,techies join fast

Posted by Karthiyayini on October 6, 2013 

Chennai,Oct 6 (TruthDive): Thiagu, general secretary of the Tamil National Liberation Movement, and founder of the Movement against CHOGM in Sri Lanka, has embarked on a fast unto death since October 1, 2013 at Valluvar Kottam in Chennai.

Thiagu’ strike enters sixth day today,gathering heat and momentum.

Thiagu is demanding New Delhi to action expelling genocidal Sri Lanka from the  Commonwealth council. He is also urging to  change  the venue of CHOGM 2013 and if at all CHOGM meets in Colombo , Manmohan Singh should stay away from it.

At the forefront of the fast protest in Chennai, the Movement against CHOGM in Sri Lanka includes various political activists, trade union leaders and an advocate.

MDMK, Manitha Neya Makkal Katchi, Kanchi Makkal Mandram, Tamil Nadu Makkal Katchi, director Ram and actor Sathyaraj  are also among many others who have offered support for Thiagu’s hunger strike against CHOGM in Sri Lanka.  Nandanam College students also showed their support for the cause by boycotting classes.

Thiagu has spelt out certain demands,some of them are: expelling genocidal Sri Lanka from the Commonwealth Council, PM Manmohna Singh should not attend CHOGM meet in Sri Lanka,if at all it convenes in the island nation, stop supply  of warships to Sri Lanka, stop training Lankan army personnel in any part of India, handing back Katchatheevu island to India, closure of special camps for Sri Lankan Tamil Refugees in Tamil Nadu, offering of temporary Indian citizenship to the Sri Lankan Tamil refugees, respecting the economic, civil and political rights of the people of Tamil Eezham people living in Tamil Nadu, release of Perarivalan, Santhan, Murugan, Nalini, Robert Payas, Jeyakumar and Ravichandran convicted in the Rajiv Gandhi murder case, considering that they have spent more than 20 years in prison and instituting an independent international investigation into the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by  Rajapakse regime against the people of Tamil Eezham.

Thiagu’s demand also calls for an international protective mechanism to prevent the continuing structural genocide of the people of Tamil Eezham and for a referendum to be held among the Sri Lankan Tamil people in their homeland and in the Diaspora to determine the future of Tamil Eezham and  effecting the resolution passed by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly by New Delhi and calling for an economic embargo on the government of Sri Lanka to make it accept the demands of the Tamils.

As an expression of solidarity with Thiagu’s hunger protest, Save Tamils Movement, a Chennai-based forum of IT professionals joined Thiagu at Valluvar Kottam.

The representatives of the Save Tamils Movement (STM) who are working tirelessly for the voices of Tamils to be heard in the international arena spoke at Valluvar Kottam and expressed their opinions on why Sri Lanka should be expelled from Commonwealth.

Save Tamils Movement recently attracted considerable attention and interest from Diaspora and Tamil activists in India and across the world when they convened an International Youth Conference in the city in September this year, calling to boycott genocidal Sri Lanka.

Representatives and volunteers of STM wearing T-shirts bearing slogans – ‘Don’t sponsor genocide’, ‘Boycott Sri Lanka’, conducted rail campaign and bike rally in the city in May this year urging to boycott Sri Lanka. Stickers demanding to boycott products from Sri Lanka were also distributed and pasted on vehicles.