Sri Lankan Tamils protest

THOUSANDS of Sri Lankan Tamils overnight demonstrated in Geneva to urge UN officials to press Colombo into giving independence to the island nation's Tamil-majority north.
Police put the number of protesters at 8000 while the organisers said 15,000 people gathered before a building where the UN Human Rights Council was holding a meeting to voice their demand.
"The participation of thousands of Tamils living in Switzerland and all over Europe shows the seriousness and the urgency of the situation," the organisers said in a statement, blasting the "genocidal intentions" of the Sri Lankan government.
Thampipillai Namsivayam, secretary of the Swiss Tamil Forum, said: "Every day, about 10 people are killed by the government."
The uphill peace process in Sri Lanka is aimed at ending about 30 years of ethnic bloodshed that has claimed more than 60,000 lives after the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebel group launched a war for a Tamil homeland.
News.com.au From correspondents in Geneva June 12, 2007 04:57am