Protests against Rajapaksa in New Zealand

( June 06, 2012, Auckland , Sri Lanka Guardian) The Sri Lankan Tamils resident in New Zealand organised protests in Auckland, the Commercial and Industrial City and Wellington the Capital City to synchronize with the protests in London against war criminal Mahinda Rajapakse, President of Sri Lanka dining with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of the historic and prestigious Diamond Jubilee of her regime as Queen of Britain and Commonwealth. Whenn asked why they are doing it in New Zealand, the New Zealand TYO organiser Ashok who headed the protest replied “We as New Zealanders, apart from being Sri Lankan Tamils, being members of the Commonwealth owe a duty to express our anger at scarring a great event by allowing a war criminal to sit and dine with our Great and Loved Queen. We salute the Queen and are proud of her long and success studded regime”

Braving the biting cold of the winter and the added incessant rain and heavy blowing of the day on 5 June 2012, the Tamil youths stood firmly like rocks dripping in the rain for over 2 hours near Potters Park, in Auckland. Since this is a huge cross junction and being end of work time massive passersby inquired from the youths the cause of the demo. Notwithstanding the weather condition, the people paused for a while to encourage the youth. Mr. A. Theva Rajan, a Tamil activist addressed the gathering when the rains ceased for a while. He characterised the demand by President Rajapakse on the TNA to participate in the PSC as another of his cheating stunts. If he is genuine and conscientious about reconciliation and a solution for lasting peace, he should make use of the four documents already in place, the Mangala Moonesinghe PSC Report, President Chandrika’s Draft Constitution of August 2000, the 13th Amendment and his own APRC Report as the base to start the talks with the TNA. To call for another PSC is just another of his stun t to buy time to accomplish his genocide agenda All right thinking people must reject his intransigence on peace building. He must stop his own brother calling the current onslaught by Buddhist fanaticism as religious renaesance . This Buddhist fanaticism is defiling the very teachings of Lord Buddha. He must also stop his Cabinet Minister Rishard Badiuddin playing the role of a Alquaeda or Taliban fighter against Christian religious dignitaries if he is to build any credence. Can Mahind Rajapakse show any agreement or undertaking which a Sinhala leader has upheld to this date from the first Sinhala – Tamil Pact of 7 December 1918 ?All Pacts were unilaterally abrogated by the Sinhala leadership .The Sinhala leadership has zero credibility among the Tamils. Can Rajapakse demolish that rock solid dark image?, “ he asked.

A delegation of Tamils headed by Siva Naguleswaran handed over a petition expressing disapproval of allowing a war criminal to dine with Her Majesty the Queen on this historic occasion, to the MPs and the Prime Minister at the Parliament in Wellington.