IN Melbourne Australia pro-Tamil Tiger supporters became violent and attacked Sinhalese owned shops in the suburbs and attacked at least one Sri Lankan student in the streets injuring his head.
Outraged by a very successful rally held in front of the Victoria parliament in Melbourne Australia, to demand that Tamil civilians should be released from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam human shield, pro-LTTE elements became extremely agitated, attacked demonstrators returning home injuring one seriously and attacked Sinhalese owned shops in the suburbs of the city, April 4.
Eyewitnesses said the violence started when pro-LTTE supporters rode in a fast driven vehicle waving red flags of the ferocious Tiger in the area the demonstration was held and later attacking innocent demonstrators returning home with beer bottles and iron rods on a Melbourne street.
Later, the pro-LTTE goons travelled to the suburbs and selectively attacked Sinhalese owned shops, who have nothing to do with the demonstration turning the event to a race riot.
The shops were attacked in the Melbourne suburbs of Dandenong, Clayton, Doveton and Huntingdale.
A Sinhalese university student, profusely bleeding from the attack on his head by the pro-LTTE rioters was admitted to the Royal Melbourne hospital and hospital authorities said he is out of danger. He remains in the hospital for further tests.
The police did not permit the pro-LTTE motorcade to enter the area when the peace rally was held on the footsteps of the Victoria parliament. But defying the police orders LTTE vehicles had entered the area breaking peace, provoking demonstrators and later attacking the demonstrators.
An eyewitness said the pro-Sri Lankan rally on the footsteps of the parliament where more than 3000 participated was extremely peaceful . “The Labour Party MP, Telmo Languiller, who had just returned from Sri Lanka , also addressed the rally and expressed the hope that the Tamil Tigers would release the civilians. The peace rally which began at 10 a.m. ended at 1.00 p.m”, he said.
He further said, “The Tiger agents parading in cars carrying anti Sri Lankan banners and Tiger flags were cruising in areas where they were kept out. One blue car moved up Bourke Street — the top end of Melbourne city where the rally was being held – and it halted at the traffic lights. This was a provocative act which led some of the Sri Lankan students to grab the flag and jump on the bonnet of the car. The Police intervened and the Tiger car was escorted to a side. After questioning those inside the car the Police let them go.
“The violent incident took place later when the participants of the peace rally were heading home. Once again a car carrying the Tiger flag and banners pulled up at the intersection of Exhibition and Collins Street on the top-end of Melbourne and Tamil youth had got out with rods and beer bottles. They moved into the crowd of Sri Lankans students and all this was videoed by the Tiger agents. It was at this point that the violence broke out which led to a Sri Lankan student being bashed on the head.
“The move to video the incident was a pre-planned tactic. Doctored footage had been distributed to local TV station to accuse the Sri Lankan students of provoking the incident.”
Meanwhile a Sri Lankan leader in Melbourne Mr. H.L.D. Mahindapala who was also interviewed by the television on the incident said : “In the meantime, Inbath Thamil Vanali, a pro-Tiger radio station, owned by Balasingham Prabhakaran, had broadcast program inciting racial hatred and personal attack on Dr. Noel Nadesan, the Editor of the Tamil community newspaper, UTHAYAM. The program was targeting Dr. Nadesan because he had participated in the recent talks held in Colombo between the Sri Lankan government and a group of Tamil expatriates. The broadcast had urged Tamils to burn his newspapers and cast personal aspersions on his family. The Tigers are out to blacken the names of Tamils who participated in the talks with the Sri Lankan government.
“The escalation of violence overnight has caused concern among the Sri Lankan community. The Australian society has been free of Tiger violence. Tiger violence was common in Canada , France , Norway and UK. This is the first time Tiger violence has exploded in Australia .” (EOM)
Walter Jayawardhana