Teargas spraying disrupts TNA Paris meeting:

TNA tells diaspora ‘don’t disturb Lankan process’

A teargas attack that disrupted a Tamil diaspora meeting in Paris last week has prompted a call by the Tamil National Alliance leadership for the diaspora to refrain from violence that could disturb the on-going peace process in Sri Lanka.

A senior Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian has called on radical elements in the Tamil Diaspora not to indulge in such violence because it would disturb the current moves for a political settlement of the ethnic conflict. TNA MP Mavai Senathiraja told the Sunday Observer yesterday that violence by elements within the global Tamil diaspora would not help a suitable atmosphere for the political dialogue under way.

The TNA leader was reacting to an incident last week in which tear gas-spraying pro-LTTE youth disrupted a Tamil diaspora meeting in Paris, France, organised by a TNA support group which he had attended. Senathirajah, himself a veteran youth leader of the TULF, said that the September 11 meeting in a community hall in Paris, which he was to address, had been invaded by a small group of youth.

They had chanted slogans and then sprayed the room with tear gas and disrupted the meeting. The organisers had protected the Sri Lankan visitors and called the police but the youth had got away.

Several people attending, including women, had been affected by the spray from teargas canisters, he said.

Senathirajah’s visit to Paris was part of the TNA’s on-going program to meet Tamil diaspora groups worldwide for support for the current peace moves in Sri Lanka.