‘Go back Sri Lanka, go home’

British citizens of Tamil origin have demanded Sri Lanka cricket team to be expelled from the ICC World Twnety20 for what they claimed committing a genocide against humanities by their government.
The Tamils demanded it while protesting in front of the Trent Bridge cricket ground when Sri Lanka were playing against Australia in their first group match. Nottingham police did not interfere in the peaceful protest, initially joined by around 70 Tamils.
The number of protesters went up to 300 as the match progressed while some Sri Lankans left the gallery to express solidarity with them. The Tamils carried the placards which carried pictures of civilian causalities in recent the war between Sri Lankan army and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
‘Go back Sri Lanka, go home’- was the slogan of most of the protesters while many others chanted slogans like ‘ICC ban Sri Lanka’ or ‘Go back the killers.’ The protesters also slammed the British government for issuing visa to the Sri Lanka cricket team.
‘If they cannot give visas to the Zimbabwe cricket team, how they give it to the Sri Lanka team. Zimbabwe had perpetrated little crime against the white people in their country, but Sri Lanka has committed genocide against us,’ said Uchana Kapaluge, a 19-year old student of Nottingham University.
‘We are protesting against the dual policy of the British government. Sri Lanka have killed at least 20,000 Tamil civilians, almost 10 civilians against one LTTE man, but no one reacted in the way they should,’ she said.
Uchana was soon joined by 21-year old Mahendra Sena, who claimed to have lost his mother, who was living in the safe zone during the war. ‘They did not even spare my aged mother. How can they allow a team, which itself has a killer within,’ said Sena referring to Sri Lankan spinner Ajantha Mendis, an air force commando by profession.
Other protesters took him away when Sena started weeping while talking to this correspondent.
‘As long as Sri Lanka stay here we will continue our protest. We will not be indisciplined, but we will do our best to draw the attention of the world against the atrocity of the Sri Lankan government,’ said co-protester Uchana.
It is mentionable that England is the home of around 3,00,000 Tamils, many of who have originated from Sri Lanka’s war-torn northern region. The most notable British Tamil includes England cricketer Dimitri Mascarenhas.
Sri Lanka beat Australia by six wickets in their opening game to progress into the Super Eight stage of ICC World Twenty20.

Courtesy of NewAgebd