Successful Manchester Tamil Solidarity meeting

TAMIL SOLIDARITY, an international campaigning network, is building up its forces in Greater Manchester against the Sri Lankan government's repression of Tamil speaking people.

Lawrence Arokianathan, Tamil Solidarity, Manchester

On 18 November, Tamil Solidarity held a meeting in Salford against the Sri Lankan government-run militarised detention camps on the island in which hundreds of thousands of Tamils are still incarcerated. More than 30 people attended this meeting, around one-third of whom were Tamil speaking people. The others were from Salford, many of them students from Salford University. The meeting was supported by local left-wing organisations - Salford Left Forum, the Socialist Party and Socialist Students.

Senan, international coordinator of Tamil Solidarity, talked about the real situation in Sri Lanka. A number of people participated in the discussion and showed a keen interest in participating in the campaign.

Tamil Solidarity announced a protest at the office of Bury South MP Ivan Lewis, who is a government minister in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Recently, the government's special envoy to Sri Lanka, Des Browne MP, made the ludicrous claim that "it is safe to return people, including Tamils, to Sri Lanka".

Our plan of action is:

Tamil Solidarity group will march as part of the Youth Fight for Jobs national demonstration on 28 November.
Early December, protest at Ivan Lewis's office in Prestwich, Greater Manchester.
Thursday 10 December: campaign supporters will attend a meeting in London with speakers from Indian socialist organisation, New Socialist Alternative.
Mid-December: Tamil Solidarity meeting at Manchester University.
6 February: Tamil Solidarity northern conference.