2ND LEAD

TamilNadu Police arrests Vaiko, Nedumaran in Chennai

[TamilNet, Monday, 12 November 2007, 16:03 GMT]
Tamil Nadu police arrested Pazha Nedumaaran, the leader of Tamil Nationalist Movement (TMM), Vaiko, the leader of Marumalardchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhakam (MDMK) and several other leaders of parties supporting the Eelam Tamils, including Indian National League, Monday in Chennai when they led a demonstration march condemning Sri Lanka Government (GoSL) for assassinating Brigadier S. P. Tamilchelvan, the Political Head of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in an aerial bombing on November 02. They were arrested for defying a ban imposed by the Tamil Nadu Government on the rally.



Hundreds of members and supporters of Tamil Coordinating Committee (TCC), TMM and MDMK began the protest demonstration march from Monroe statue in Chennai wearing badges of their respective organizations and bearing placards of Tamilchelvan's photo.

Vaiko and Pazha Nedumaran arrived in a vehicle holding Tamilchelvan's photo placards where the demonstrators were when the police obstructed their vehicle from proceeding further.

The two leaders began the meeting condemning GoSL for killing Tamilchelvan by delivering speeches from the vehicle itself.

'The Sri Lankan state is engaged in killing hundreds and thousands of Eelam Tamils and we are greatly concerned about the Indian assistance given to Sri Lanka in the form of radars and military equipments,' Mr. Vaiko said in his speech.

Pazha Nedumaran too condemned Sri Lanka in the same vein and both leaders appealed to the Indian Central Government to immediately stop all military assistance to Sri Lanka.

Tamil Nadu police, deployed in large numbers, arrested Vaiko and Pazha Nedumaran following their speeches.

The police baton charged the protesting demonstrators when the two arrested leaders were taken away.