MDMK chief Vaiko demands lifting of ban on LTTE

CHENNAI - Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) founder-president V Gopalswamy, popularly known as Vaiko, and his followers staged a demonstration here on Thursday to demand the lifting of a ban imposed on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

They assembled outside the tribunal trying the cases related to LTTE.

Vaiko, a staunch supporter of the LTTE and its cause, accused the state government of slapping stringent laws on LTTE sympathisers and of needlessly conducting a witch hunt against them.

“Mere expression of sympathy for the Tamil cause is branded as an act of terrorism and cases are framed,” said Vaiko.

A lone member tribunal under Justice Vikramajit Sen, has been set up under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act to examine ban on the LTTE and this court is functioning in Chennai.

After one of the hearings that was listed on Thursday, Tamil nationalist movement leader, Pazhanedumaran told media persons that the ban on LTTE would not kill the ideals of the organisation from the hearts of their supporters.

“By using the ban on LTTE, those supporting the cause of Sri Lankan Tamils are branded as ultras and action is taken against them. There is no democratic follow up in Tamil Nadu. We want to lift the ban on LTTE and no one can delete LTTE and so we continue to fight for this cause,” observed Pazhanedumaran, a Tamil nationalist movement leader.

Lawyers and supporters of the LTTE raised slogans outside the tribunal office against the ban on the outfit.

The Sri Lankan Army crushed the LTTE in May last year. Nearly three million Sri Lankan Tamils were relocated to refugee camps. A majority of them have since been resettled in their original villages but still need assistance for accommodation and restart their livelihood. (ANI)