While a group of British citizens were being held as hostages in the Taj Mahal and Oberoi hotels in Mumbai by an unknown terrorist group, the LTTE held a Heroes’ Day rally at the ExCel Centre in London last Thursday.

A large number of Tamils based in the United Kingdom and from other cities across Europe attended the rally to listen to the Heroes’ Day speech delivered by LTTE leader Velupillai Prabakaran from the Wanni in Sri Lanka.

The keynote address at the London event was delivered in the evening by the General Secretary of Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetta Kazhakam (MDMK), Y. Gopalasami alias Vaiko. He was earlier refused a visa to enter Britain but apparently on intervention by the All Party Parliament Group for Tamils in the British Parliament enabled him to come across to attend the meeting..

During his 40-minute speech, he pointed out that  Tamil Eelam is the only solution to ensure the security and dignity of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka. He urged the Indian Central Government to help establish an independent Tamil Eelam.

The other speakers at the rally were British parliamentarians Edward Davey (LibDem, Kingston and Surbiton), Siobhain McDonagh (Labour, Mitcham and Mordern), John McDonnell (Labour, Hayes and Harlington), Andrew Pelling (Independent, Croydon Central), Joan Ryan (Labour, Enfield North) and Vireindra Sharma (Labour, Ealing and Southall).

British MPs participating at this rally were perhaps influenced by the fact that they could obtain the votes of the Tamil people in their constituencies.

It had been brought to the attention of British authorities by the Sri Lankan High Commission in London and peace-loving Sinhala, Tamil and Muslims that the organizer of this rally, British Tamil Forum is a front organization of the LTTE. The LTTE is a proscribed terrorist outfit in the UK.

Holding such rallies are a violation of the law, but the authorities said that they monitored the event to see whether there was any breach of the law.

The million dollar question is  whether the British authorities would allow a front organization of the Al-Quida terrorist group to hold a similar rally, a Sri Lankan expatriate asked.

Referring to Vaiko’s open support for Eelam in Sri Lanka, he pointed out that this politician should first create an independent state in Tamil Nadu, where his origins are as this South Indian State is best suited for such a proposition with a population of more than 60 million Tamils.

During his visit to London, Vaiko also visited the British Parliament.