Photographs Uthayan |
Hundreds of Tamil men and women gathered in Mannar, holding a satyagraha in protest on Saturday, at the government and military's ongoing illegal expropriation of land in Tamil areas, reported Uthayan.
The military has seized over 5,200 acres of land in Mannar alone, TamilNet said in its report on the protest, citing Tamil activists in the northern region.
Video Uthayan |
The protest was organised by youth activists of Ilangkai Thamizh Arasuk Kadchi (ITAK), a constituent of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA).
It was supported by the other parties in the TNA and Tamil parties outside the alliance, including the Tamil National People’s Alliance (TNPF), as well as the Democratic People’s Front from South.
Mannaar Bishop Rt. Rev. Dr. Rayappu Joseph, together with Catholic priests, elected representatives of the civic bodies and other civil activists from Mannaar also took part.
Several TNA parliamentarians attended - Mavai Senathiraja, M.A. Sumanthiran, M. Saravanapavan, Selvam Adaikalanathan, Sivasakthi Ananthan, Vino Nokarathalingam, Appathurai Vinayamoorthy and M.A. Sivajalingam - as well as V. Anandasangaree of the TULF and Bhaskara of the DPF (Democratic Peoples Front).
See also:
Tamils protest against land grabs amidst military threats (26 Jun 2012)
Navy forcibly evicts resettled families in Mannar (23 Jun 2012)
Riot police deployed against Tamil protesters (19 Jun 2012)