Fed: Tamils protest outside Kirribilli House

AAP General News (Australia)
04-13-2009
Fed: Tamils protest outside Kirribilli House

By Stephanie Gardiner

SYDNEY, April 13 AAP - Hundreds of Tamil demonstrators protesting outside the prime
minister's Sydney residence say they will stay there until the Australian government urges
the Sri Lankan government to call for a ceasefire with the Tamil Tigers.

More than 1,000 Tamils - including three hunger strikers - staged an all-night rally
outside Kirribilli House as part of a global protest aimed at brokering a ceasefire between
the Sri Lankan army and the Tamil Tigers.

The protest began as a three-man hunger strike in Parramatta, in Sydney's west, on
Saturday but moved to the prime minister's official northern Sydney residence amid reports
the Sri Lankan government had broken into the "no-fire zone" in the island nation.

The Sri Lankan government says it is in the final stages of defeating the separatist
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, who launched a campaign in 1972 to create a separate
Tamil homeland on the island. The remaining Tigers are trapped in the "no-fire" zone,
in the island's northeast, along with thousands of civilians.

But Colombo is under pressure to agree to a ceasefire, after claims that 3,500 civilians
have been killed in the first three months of 2009.

About 400 protesters remained on the road outside the prime minister's house on Monday morning.

The sombre protest turned noisy before 9am (AEST) with the group chanting "Australia,
save the Tamils", "We want ceasefire" and "Stop genocide".

Men, women and young children waved red Tamil flags and banners saying: "Impose sanction
on Sri Lanka".

Many had been lying on mats and pillows on the road early in the morning.

Protester Geetha Mano, 24, says the rally will continue until they get some response
from Prime Minister Kevin Rudd or Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith.

Ms Mano said the protesters were calling for the ceasefire, for food and medicine to
be sent to the Tamil civilians and for Tamil people to have the right to live where they
choose.

"It's about time the voice of these people gets heard ... after all, we are all humans,"

she told AAP.

"We ask the international community and the Australian government to urge, to push
the Sri Lankan government to call for a ceasefire and to meet these demands so that these
people get the right to live freely and with freedom of choice."

Mr Rudd is currently in Canberra, and his office on Monday said it would not be commenting
on the protest.

Police are monitoring the peaceful protest and many streets surrounding Kirribilli
House have been closed.

AAP sg/kd/sn/cdh

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