LTTE in London clash with police and injure 25 policemen

(By: Walter Jayawardhana)

London based LTTE supporters became violent and twenty five police officers were injured in an ensuing clash in front of the British parliament when the they once again tried to block streets.

The supporters of the banned terrorist outfit amounting to about one thousand have been occupying an empty field called parliamentary square hoisting flags of the LTTE and denying that their leader Velupillai Prabhakaran is not dead as the Sri Lanka government claimed.

Metropolitan Police said 25 police officers have been treated for injuries and 22 out of them were for minor injuries. Three needed hospitalization.

The police said ten offenders have been arrested for public order offenses.

The LTTE support group have been allowed to demonstrate and occupy the parliamentary square since April 6 issuing statements, shouting slogans and displaying banners and placards against Sri Lanka since April 6.

The violent demonstartion bore the hallmark of LTTE's cowardly tacitic of risking women and children to protect the main perperators of the event. The LTTE agents brought toddlers and babies, who might become the first victims in a possible stampede and the maintenance of the crowd during a stampede. During this period the London LTTE organizers blocked public roads illegally for four times.

In the parliament on a point of order debate the LTTE nuisance of bringing thousands of sympathisers to the parliamentary square with tents, food stalls where there is no toilet facilities when permission given to only 50 has been discussed.

The proposals of remedy has been drawn up by Commons outgoing Speaker Michael Martin after consultation with Westminster Council, where the parliament is situated, the Home Office, City hall and the Metropolitan Police.

Westminster is prepared to hand over ownership of the pavements to the Greater London Authority because campaign is illegal on the GLA property. The legislation to this effect has been already drafted.

But the LTTE wants the parliamentary square for ever, and is going to challenge this in the courts.

The student front told newspapers that they would fighting this measure upto the European courts since this is a violation of their basic human rights. The LTTE is prepared even to spend millions for lawyers to fight this out putting some students as a front.