WIDE POLITICAL SUPPORT IN EUROPE FOR URGENT ACTION IN SRILANKA!!!

Britain bans ‘Mercy Ship’ bound for Wanni

By Jamila Najmuddin

The British government has banned the humanitarian aid ship ‘Mercy Mission’ from leaving the shores of Britain to deliver aid to thousands of civilians trapped in northern Sri Lanka until the appropriate clearance was given by Sri Lanka, government sources said yesterday.

The ship was expected to carry over 2,000 metric tonnes of food and medical aid for the civilians in the Wanni collected by British politicians and celebrities, various British Tamil charities and British based organisation ‘Act Now’ over the last few weeks.

The ban, preventing the ship from sailing to Sri Lanka was declared by the British government after serious concerns were raised by the Sri Lankan authorities about the ship’s cargo.

The Sri Lankan government claimed that the LTTE had used previous aid ships to smuggle in arms to the north and urged the British authorities to look into the issue.

An organiser of the mission, Arjunan Ethirveeraisgham confirmed to the Daily Mirror yesterday that the ship had not yet left Britain but said they were hopeful that there would be a development on the matter sometime this week.

According to Ethirveerasingam the ship could not sail for Sri Lanka on the decided date of March 31 as they were awaiting approval from the Sri Lankan government to enter the Sri Lankan waters.

However, according to a spokesperson from the Sri Lanka High Commission in UK the Sri Lankan government might ‘consider the case’ of whether to allow the aid into Sri Lanka if it received an assurance from the UK government that the ship had been checked and found to contain humanitarian supplies.

However, one of the directors from UK organization ‘Act Now’ said that the containers on the ship were being X-rayed by British authorities so its cargo could be verified.

“If that third party check isn't good enough for them, what is,” he asked. “I think the government is being facetious and deliberately provocative and is trying to find an excuse for not allowing the aid to land,” he had said.

However, the Sri Lanka High Commission in London has raised its dissatisfaction and continuous concerns with the British authorities and raised questions about the ship’s cargo.

High Commission authorities had even informed the Foreign Ministry in Colombo and alerted the necessary authorities of a possible aid ship heading for the Wanni.

The Sri Lanka Navy too have been out on high alert for unauthorized ships preparing to transport food and medical supplies to the Wanni, bypassing the government.

An official from the Navy on conditions of anonymity said that the Navy would be on high alert in the coming days to prevent any ship carrying food for the LTTE to cross into Sri Lankan waters.

Browne going to world capitals on Lankan mission

British envoy Des Browne is to embark on a mission to the UN, Washington and the EU to brief leaders there on the current situation in Sri Lanka, the Press Association reported. It also said that Simon Hughes, UK Liberal Democrat MP for North Southwark and Bermondsey, was trying to negotiate with police to allow some Sri Lankan Tamil protesters in London to accompany Browne on his mission.

Britain had appointed Browne as a special envoy for Sri Lanka but the Sri Lankan government refused to recognise the unilateral appointment saying it violated the country’s sovereignty.

The British Foreign Ministry however continues to negotiate with Sri Lanka seeking an agreement on the appointment.

Two Tamil protesters in London had on Saturday agreed to break their hunger strike over the Sri Lankan situation with sips of water after politicians pledged to help them take part in the talks on the plight of Tamils living in Sri Lanka.

The students from Mitcham in South London had been on hunger strike since last Monday refusing to even take liquids and supporters feared they were close to suffering renal failure.

Sivatharsan Sivakumaraval, 21, and Prarameswaran Subramaniam, 28, were staging their protest along with 500 Tamil supporters who illegally occupied London's Parliament Square for the fifth day.

The Press Association quoted Simon Hughes as saying:

"There's very wide political support for urgent action in Sri Lanka to avert a terrible crisis in lives and liberty. Politicians from across the parties in the UK are willing to work with the community here to try to get political movement in the next few days.

"I'm grateful the two young men (hunger strikers) have agreed to take fluids now while negotiations continue. I hope a political strategy for delegations to the UN, Washington, Brussels and the Commonwealth Secretary in London will soon be in place to take place next week."

The protesters want the UK Government to take action to help protect the Tamils in their homeland.
DAILYMIRROR.LK