MELBOURNE, Jan 2 — Tamil protesters and their supporters plan rally outside the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday, calling for the Sri Lankan cricket team to be barred from world competition.
The Boycott Sri Lankan Cricket Campaign (BSLCC) expects protesters to converge at 9.30am (AEDT) on Thursday, the first day of the third Test between Australia and Sri Lanka.
The Tamil Youth Organisation said in a statement on Wednesday the protest was to highlight the persecution of Tamils by the Sri Lankan Government. Spokesman Kartheeban Arul said protesters want the Australian Government and Cricket Australia to halt all future tours and matches involving Sri Lanka.
Arul said a ban should remain until the Sri Lankan Government agreed to a United Nations demand for an independent inquiry into war crimes during the nation’s civil war and until it stops persecuting Tamils.
“We also demand that the Australian government end its inhumane and illegal treatment of Tamils who are fleeing persecution and seeking asylum in Australia,” he said.
The close connections between the Sri Lankan Government and the cricket team justified bringing politics into sport, Arul said.
— BERNAMA
