Hoist Black Flags To Oppose MR's Address To UNGA: M Karunanidhi

September 16, 2014

DMK president M Karunanidhi on Tuesday called upon all those concerned for the welfare of Lankan Tamils to oppose President Mahinda Rajapaksa's address to the United Nations General Assembly on September 25, by hoisting black flags and wearing black shirts, Indian media reported.

The DMK chief had recalled that his party-backed TESO (Tamil Eelam Supporters' Organisation) had organised a protest in Tamil Nadu early this month pressing its demand that Rajapaksa should not be allowed to address UNGA on the grounds that Colombo had not allowed a UN panel to hold probe in that country regarding alleged human rights violations against ethnic Tamils.

Karunanidhi has said that the Indian Central Government had not heeded DMK's demand to oppose Rajapaksa's address to UNGA. Neither had the UN withdrawn its invite to the Sri Lankan president.

"All those concerned for the welfare of (Lankan) Tamils should hoist black flags in their houses and wear black shirts and black badges on September 25 to oppose Rajapaksa's participation in the meeting and strongly condemn him on behalf of Tamil Nadu," Karunanidhi said in a statement.

Tamil Nadu political parties accuse Sri Lankan army of alleged human rights violations in the last leg of the war against the LTTE in 2009 and hold Rajapaksa responsible.