KUALA LUMPUR, June 26, Reuter: About 200 Malaysian Tamils defied a police order and demonstrated today outside the Sir Lankan High Commission (Embassy).
They were protesting against what they said were human rights violations by Sri Lankan armed forces in their offensive against Tamil rebels in the northern part of the country.
An opposition member of Parliament, David Vethamuthu, submitted, a protest note to High Commission officials and demonstrators burnt an effigy of Sri Lankan President Julius Jeyawardene.
Armed police prevented the chanting demonstrators from entering the building. They took the names of some protesters but declined to say whether further action would be taken.
Sri Lankan rebels are fighting to set up a separate state for Tamils who make up 13 per cent of Si Lanka’s 15 million populations.
Ten per cent of Malaysia’s 16 million people are of Indian origin and are mainly Tamils.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 3, 1987
