Tamil Tigers preparing for ‘Hero’s Day’ celebrations in London

(October, 28,London,Sri Lanka Guardian) The United Kingdom and European Union proscribed Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (Tamil Tigers) activists are getting ready to hold the annual Hero’s Days celebrations in London on November 27, 2007.

Colourful leaflets are being distributed via Tamil outlets which states ‘Tamil Thesia Ninaiveluchi Naal 2007’ (Tamil National Memorial Uprising Day 2007), November 27, Tuesday (11.30 – 17.30). The leaflets failed to disclose the details of the venue/s, organisers name and their contact details.

The leaflets displayed verses in Tamil glorifying the dead cadres of the LTTE and subtly inviting people to attend. The verses translated states:

‘The land that gave birth to us

Those who sacrificed their sweet life

To uphold and remember for few moments

All should come!

Will you not come forward to praise

our motherland we lived?.......

The leaflets first appeared in the North West London Tamil shops and are not distributed in other areas. North West London is said be the bastion of LTTE activities. The diehard activists like Sockalingam Karunalingam alias Kannan, Councillor Daya Idaikadar, Councillor Shasikala Suresh and her husband and few other LTTE activists are living in the Harrow area in the North West London. Sources say the notice was circulated by the Tamil Youth Organisation based in Harrow and have been printed by Sockalingam Karunalingam for the LTTE.

In 2006, LTTE could not hold the Hero’s Day celebrations in a massive scale due to police intervention. Determined LTTE operatives went ahead and held the event in two other places in Harrow and Tooting. Since last years events the Counter Terrorism Unit of the British police have arrested LTTE’s head in London Arunachalalam Krishanthakumar alias Shanthan and its youth wing leader Golden Lambert. Both will be appearing before the High Court in the Strand on various terrorism charges on November 5, 2007. The Counter Terrorism Unit has also raided many other places including LTTE’s finance head Soosaipillai Rupert alias Thanam’s house two months ago.

The organisers of the event are keeping the venue and their contact details secret until few days before the event to avoid intervention by the police. It is widely believed Sockalingam Karunalingam will be playing a major role as he had invested himself heavily in the LTTE activities since he was ousted from the Chairmanship of Shree Kanaga Durgai Amman temple two years ago. He is presently managing the Tharisanam TV in London for the LTTE and is said to be having a controlling interest in the International Broadcasting Corporation (IBC). These two media together with the LTTE mouthpiece Deepam TV are expected to announce the Hero’s Day event details just prior to November 27, 2007.

In the previous years Tamil shops were forced to close down business on Hero’s Day and special coaches ferried people to the venues.

(Photo: Karunalingam interviewing Garath Thomas MP for the LTTE’s Tharisanam TV recently)