British Police net key LTTE activists
Dushy Ranetunge in London
Over the past week, large numbers of LTTE supporters protested in
Parliament Square opposite the British Houses of Commons as a part of an
ongoing LTTE protest against the proscription of the LTTE in Europe,
Human rights incidents and demanding the right to self determination.
A North London Labour Party councillor Daya Idaikadar carried out a
token fast opposite the British Parliament. The British media did not
pay any attention to this event and even British Parliamentarians were
aware that the event was a LTTE front. Britain has Tamil think tanks
consisting of selected Tamil residents in Britain who are consulted on
an ongoing basis by the British establishment and do not depend on LTTE
protests in parliament square or Trafalgar square to form opinions.
Later last week, the LTTE protest seems to have moved from Parliament
square to the pavement opposite the TBC (Tamil Broadcasting
Corporation). The TBC is an anti-LTTE radio service that broadcasts over
Europe and even to Sri Lanka via SLBC and is operated by V Ramraj who
was arrested by the Swiss police after an altercation during the Geneva
talks in February.
His wife and friends are carrying on the radio station to the great
annoyance of the LTTE who initially expected to debilitate the radio
station with the arrest of Ramraj.
The LTTE protest opposite the offices of TBC last week, seems to have
turned violent and police have intervened.
Among those arrested are reported to be Nadarajah Sethurupan who
operates nitharsanam.com from Oslo and two others who had accompanied
him. They were arrested by the Metropolitan Police on 8th June at about
10.00pm for violent behaviour in front of the Tamil Broadcasting
Corporation (TBC) based at Rayners Lane in Harrow, Middlesex.
Others involved in the protest are Rajan Thamotherampillai,
Suthaharan, the proprietor of Time Travel who is a ticketing agent for
Sri Lankan Airlines based at the World Trade Centre in Colombo.
Suthaharana's younger brother had been particularly active in front of
the TBC office.
All four of them had intimidated and threatened the TBC staff and the
popular hard hitting Thursday evening discussion programme panellist
which is broadcast live all over the world.
They have threatened to kill one of the panel members, A K
Vivekananthan, for his outspoken comments about the LTTE. Vivekananthan
was formally head of the LTTE in Northern Germany and is now opposed to
the LTTE.
The programme presenter Mrs Sivajini Ramaraj faced the wrath of the
LTTE protesters who made very abusive remarks and threatened that they
will kill her family members.
The programme presenter Visvalingam Sivalingam was prevented by the
four LTTE activists when he was heading towards the radio station and
was threatened that he should refrain from engaging with the TBC.
Despite the threat Sivalingam went ahead with his programme.
The four LTTE activists had been engaged in kicking and banging the
door and continuously ringing the door bell. They had also been verbally
abusing the TBC staff, swearing and intimidating them.
On arrival of the police, Time Travel proprietor Suthaharan had fled.
After interviewing those present, the police arrested the three LTTE
activists and took them to the Harrow Police station.
The police are investigating the incident. Police are expected to
file a report to the Crown Prosecution Service to consider criminal
charges. The arrested person may be released on conditional bail pending
a full hearing in the Crown Court.
Sethurupan is already on conditional bail given by the police in Oslo
for his anti-social and cyber terrorist activities there. He had come to
the UK on the invitation of Councillor Daya Idaikadar to provide
coverage to his four day fast in Central London. He was said to be
residing at Idaikadar's residence in Harrow. |
