Up to fifteen thousand Diaspora Tamils rallied at the European Union Secretariat in Brussels Monday to protest against EU bars on LTTE delegations visiting member states.
They called upon the EU to affirm Tamils' right to self determination, and asked for backing for a peace process based on the Interim Self Governing Agreement (ISGA) proposals submitted by the Tamil Tigers in 2003.
Despite the rain, thousands gathered on Monday with Tamil Eelam flags and posters of Vellupilai Pirabakaran, leader of the LTTE.
The demonstrators called attention to the hundreds of thousands of Tamils still displaced in Sri Lanka's Northeast as well as the stalled Post-Tsunami Operations Management Structure (PTOMS), an agreement signed by the Tigers and the government to facilitate the distribution of tsunami-related aid.
Tamils arrived in Brussels Monday from many of the EU countries with Diaspora concentrations, as well as from non-member states including Switzerland and Norway, packing out the city centre despite the cold rain.
Police reported at least 220 coaches pouring into the city ahead of the event. Coach parking bays quickly filled up, forcing some to park far from the rally point. Among them were at least ten coachloads from Britain, which is heading the EU at present.
Ten coaches from France parked five kms from the centre, their occupants taking taxis and public transport or simply walking to the rally site despite the heavy rain.
Police were quoted by radio stations as estimating that up to fifteen thousand Tamils attended the rally.
“Many people could not travel due to difficulties in getting visas in time,” officials from Tamil Youth Organisation (TYO), one of the leading community organisations involved in organising the rally, said.
Many Tamils in Switzerland, a hotbed of Tamil nationalism and which is not in the EU, were unable to get attend, they said by way of example.
Interestingly, although there are no major Tamil organisations in Belgium itself, the event was prepared by Tamil groups in other countries. Activists from the tiny Tamil community in Belgium helped youth organisations in Germany spearheading the efforts, they said.
Following the rally, Tamil representatives and legal experts met for two hours with EU officials regarding issues related to the peace process.
Mr. Francis Boyle, a leading practitioner of international law, and Mr. V. Rudrakumaran, legal advisor to the Tamil delegation at the peace negotiations, along with Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Jaffna MP, Mr. Gajendran Selvarajah met with EU officials.
Academics from prominent universities across Europe also participated in the rally.
The demonstrators’ declaration given to the European Commission stated the EU has threatened Sri Lanka’s peace with its recent ban on travel by members of the Tigers in member states and demanded the EU rescind its decision.
The EU ban “places Tamils at a distinct disadvantage … [by] undermining the LTTE’s status as an equal partner and thus constraining its capacity to negotiate,” read the demonstrators’ declaration given to the EU Secretariat.
“It was the gross, consistent, and continuing oppression on the Tamil people and the violence unleashed against them during the past several decades by successive Sri Lankan governments that led to the Tamil people getting involved in armed resistance,” the declaration stated.
The demonstrators also protested against the paramilitary groups whose attacks on Tamils in Army-controlled areas of the Northeast have escalated in recent months, in violation of the Ceasefire Agreement. The Tigers have stated the Sri Lankan Army is providing weapons and support to five armed groups to fight a covert, shadow war in the Eastern province.
They called upon the EU to affirm Tamils' right to self determination, and asked for backing for a peace process based on the Interim Self Governing Agreement (ISGA) proposals submitted by the Tamil Tigers in 2003.
Despite the rain, thousands gathered on Monday with Tamil Eelam flags and posters of Vellupilai Pirabakaran, leader of the LTTE.
The demonstrators called attention to the hundreds of thousands of Tamils still displaced in Sri Lanka's Northeast as well as the stalled Post-Tsunami Operations Management Structure (PTOMS), an agreement signed by the Tigers and the government to facilitate the distribution of tsunami-related aid.
Tamils arrived in Brussels Monday from many of the EU countries with Diaspora concentrations, as well as from non-member states including Switzerland and Norway, packing out the city centre despite the cold rain.
Police reported at least 220 coaches pouring into the city ahead of the event. Coach parking bays quickly filled up, forcing some to park far from the rally point. Among them were at least ten coachloads from Britain, which is heading the EU at present.
Ten coaches from France parked five kms from the centre, their occupants taking taxis and public transport or simply walking to the rally site despite the heavy rain.
Police were quoted by radio stations as estimating that up to fifteen thousand Tamils attended the rally.
“Many people could not travel due to difficulties in getting visas in time,” officials from Tamil Youth Organisation (TYO), one of the leading community organisations involved in organising the rally, said.
Many Tamils in Switzerland, a hotbed of Tamil nationalism and which is not in the EU, were unable to get attend, they said by way of example.
Interestingly, although there are no major Tamil organisations in Belgium itself, the event was prepared by Tamil groups in other countries. Activists from the tiny Tamil community in Belgium helped youth organisations in Germany spearheading the efforts, they said.
Following the rally, Tamil representatives and legal experts met for two hours with EU officials regarding issues related to the peace process.
Mr. Francis Boyle, a leading practitioner of international law, and Mr. V. Rudrakumaran, legal advisor to the Tamil delegation at the peace negotiations, along with Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Jaffna MP, Mr. Gajendran Selvarajah met with EU officials.
Academics from prominent universities across Europe also participated in the rally.
The demonstrators’ declaration given to the European Commission stated the EU has threatened Sri Lanka’s peace with its recent ban on travel by members of the Tigers in member states and demanded the EU rescind its decision.
The EU ban “places Tamils at a distinct disadvantage … [by] undermining the LTTE’s status as an equal partner and thus constraining its capacity to negotiate,” read the demonstrators’ declaration given to the EU Secretariat.
“It was the gross, consistent, and continuing oppression on the Tamil people and the violence unleashed against them during the past several decades by successive Sri Lankan governments that led to the Tamil people getting involved in armed resistance,” the declaration stated.
The demonstrators also protested against the paramilitary groups whose attacks on Tamils in Army-controlled areas of the Northeast have escalated in recent months, in violation of the Ceasefire Agreement. The Tigers have stated the Sri Lankan Army is providing weapons and support to five armed groups to fight a covert, shadow war in the Eastern province.
