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| Minister Ranawaka |
Fifteen persons have been arrested by the Chennai Police for setting fire to the effigy of Lankan Minister of Power and Energy Champika Ranawaka and tearing off the Lankan National flag in a protest carried out opposite the Lankan Consulate in Chennai today.
The supporters of Thirumavalvan and Y. Gopalaswamy the Tamil Nadu politicians who sympathize with the now defunct LTTE had gathered outside the Lankan Consulate in Chennai this morning to protest against the minister and the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) leader Champika Ranawaka.
They shouted slogans against Ranawaka over the remarks the minister is supposed to have made recently on Mullivaikal, where the LTTE was defeated.
Earlier the Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) Leader and the former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanithi sent a letter on Wednesday requesting Indian Premier Dr. Manmohan Singh to caution the Lankan Government over Minister Ranawaka’s comment. He is supposed to have said that one Mullivaikal war was over and there should not be hundreds more of it in Mullivaikal.
The protestors opposite the Lankan Consulate in Chennai burnt an effigy of Ranawaka and urged the Indian Government to caution the Lankan Government.
As the protestors tore off the Lankan National flag, the Chennai Police intervened and took fifteen protestors into custody.
Following today’s protest the surrounding areas of the Lankan consulate in Chennai was put under a strict security blanket
By Our Chennai Correspondent
CT