Sri Lankan Patriots Protest At Amnesty
International Office in Los Angeles
Despite cold, windy and rainy weather in Los Angeles , today (April
20, 2007), Sri Lankan Patriots gathered outside the Amnesty International
Office in Re/Max Building at 2999 Overland Blvd., Culver City, Los Angeles
, California protested against AI's ball campaign aimed at Sri Lanka
at ICC World Cup Cricket Tournament in the West Indies.
During the protest, a petition with hundreds of signatures to call
off Amnesty International's ball campaign at the Cricket World Cup was
handed over to AI Office Manager Kathy Brown. On behalf of the protestors,
Shanthini Rowel read out the text of the petition to Kathy and requested
that it be delivered to their head office in London. The affable Kathy
Brown with a broad friendly smile spread across her face explained that
there will not be any ball campaigns in LA and that she has not been
detailed of it being carried out in any other city or country. "I
also do not know how many balls have been signed so far", mentioned
Kathy answering a question raised by a protestor. Kathy said, "Please
ask our head office in Washington".
A protestor carrying a placard "AI, quo vadis?" queried whether
these champions of human rights have voiced their dissent with the same
intensity against the LTTE terror group. "The alleged human rights
violations have been brought to light and they are being discussed,
challenged and remedial action promised by the GOSL while also incorporating
more muscle into such aspects by way of aggressive follow ups etc. Why
is AI silent on the absence of freedom of expression in areas under
LTTE? Is it through fear, favor or fervent aspiration to lead the other
Rights organizations by catchwords without substance?" asked Gamini
Edirisinghe. "How would they go on without terrorists? It's for
AI's benefit to defend the terrorists for their own survival" commented
Narada Gangadhara who had traveled a distance of over 100 miles to attend
the protest.
The protestors loud chanting of slogans were heard for many hours on
the street of Overland in Culver City , California . A leaflet explaining
the cause was distributed amongst the curious onlookers, passers by
and many hundreds of vehicle commuters crossing the busy inter section.
The intermittent rain that swept the city of LA was no barrier for the
protestors. They were constantly chanting "AI for the terrorists";
"AI batting for LTTE"; amidst the loud vehicular noise stemming
from the thousands of vehicles that passed through the large over pass
of the near by freeway on the busy Friday afternoon.
The saffron color of the robes of the Buddhist monks who attended the
rally was seen distinctly among the young and old patriots who were
gathered for a cause that bothered their conscious. The rally ended
around 5.30PM with a word of thanks from Sudarshana Rohitha, the Vice
President of "Sri Lankan Patriots".
Sri Lankan Patriots Protest at Amnesty Intl. Office in LA on April 20,
2007
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