Fed: Sick Tamil hunger striker shuns food again

AAP General News (Australia)
04-17-2009
Fed: Sick Tamil hunger striker shuns food again

By Stephen Johnson

CANBERRA, April 17 AAP - A hunger striker who was taken in pain to a hospital emergency
ward two nights ago has returned to the lawns of the prime minister's Canberra residence
to continue his fast.

Sutha Thanabalasingam had gone without food and water for four days when he was rushed
to Canberra Hospital late on Wednesday night, suffering from severe stomach and muscle
pain.

The 27-year-old Melbourne University student was given fluids intravenously, before
he returned to the protest area outside the Lodge early on Thursday morning to continue
his campaign for the Sri Lankan government to broker a ceasefire with Tamil Tiger separatists.

Six hunger strikers, including Mr Thanabalasingam, have gone without food since Saturday
afternoon in the hope of convincing the Australian government to apply diplomatic pressure
on Sri Lanka.

Their protest began at Parramatta, in Sydney's west, before moving to Prime Minister
Kevin Rudd's Sydney residence, Kirribilli House.

The hunger strikers, all university students aged in their 20s and 30s, have been camping
outside the Lodge since Wednesday afternoon.

Protest spokeswoman Geetha Mano said the six hunger strikers from Sydney and Melbourne
had allowed themselves water since Wednesday night.

Mr Thanabalasingam, who has a father, mother and sister living in the conflict zone
in northeast Sri Lanka, took some convincing before he would accept some water.

"We didn't want him to lose his life. We have already lost enough," Ms Mano said.

Organisers expect about 3,000 protesters from Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney
and Canberra to gather outside the Lodge at 1400 AEST on Friday.

A delegation is scheduled to walk to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Ms Mano said the protest vigil outside the Lodge would stay there until Mr Rudd or
the Australian government agreed to put diplomatic pressure on Sri Lanka to agree to a
ceasefire.

The Tamils are also running a global campaign to get the Sri Lankan government to allow
food, medicine and aid into the conflict zone.

The Tamils say 3,500 civilians have been killed in the first three months of 2009 in
the long-running civil war with the Sri Lankan government.

The Sri Lankan government says it is in the final stages of defeating the separatist
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, who launched a campaign in 1972 to create a separate
Tamil homeland on the island nation.

AAP saj/so/jl/mn

KEYWORD: SRILANKA AUST

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