21.7.2008
By Walter JAYAWARDHANA

The London based Fourth International, affiliated to a small band of Sri Lanka's revolutionary Trotskyite Marxists called Left Front led by Wickramabahu Karunaratne demanded that Italy should immediately release the LTTE supporters arrested all over the country, after the LTTE organized Ponku Thamil rally in that country.

"We see these arrests as a move to undermine the legitimate demand of the Tamil nation for self-determination and to suppress the Tamil voice against atrocities committed by the Sri Lankan government," the Wickramabahu connected Fourth International, aiming for world revolution said in a statement issued in London.

This is second time, during the past few days, the Marxist affiliated element has come to openly support the terrorist group calling the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) calling them as "Tamil Human Rights activists". "Italy, Free Tamil human rights campaigners," they said.

Before this statement, July 12, Wickramabahu Karunaratne's representative, Shashie Peiris, in London read his leader's statement before the Pongu Thamil rally supporting the Tamil separatist movement. In his statement Wickramabahu Karunarathne, known as Comrade Bahu said:

We as the NSSP (Nava Sama Samaja Party) and the LEFT FRONT have supported consistently the liberation fighters and the fight since 1974". We have participated in Pongu Tamil and other mass actions with liberation fighters whenever we were invited. In future too we shall continue to support

"Mahinda Rajapaksa, with the support of the world powers and particularly the support of India has launched a ferocious war to recapture the Tamil homeland. Sinhala armed forces are given full backing by the Indian navy which covers the high sea surrounding the Tamil homeland. They have boasted that all resources coming by sea has been captured. At the same time world powers have hunted the Tamil Diaspora to eliminate the support for the Tamil liberation struggle".

Lodging their vehement protest, the London based small band of ideologues, known as the Fourth International said: The rally, held in Piazza Argentina in Milan, highlighted human rights violations committed by the Sri Lankan government that is waging a war against the Tamils. It was also addressed by Burani Vainer from the Association of Democratic Jurists.

The arrests were made after Sri Lankan diplomats made a complaint to police authorities that the rally was organized by supporters of the banned Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE or the Tamil Tigers), which is waging an armed struggle for the right to self-determination for the Tamil nation, currently part of the Sri Lankan state.

At the same time Wickramabahu has been supporting the right wing UNP supported token strike in Sri Lanka. In a different statement, he said:

"We must expect in the coming period strong battles in the south destabilizing Mahinda regime. This means the war has devastated the entire country. Not only the Tamils but also the Sinhala majority is made miserable. July 10 was the beginning of a movement within the working class. If Lal Kantha and the JVP leaders take it forward, then it could lead to a dynamic change in politics that could force a change of tactics of Tamil liberation struggle too. While they are led down by the world capitalist leaders, workers movement in the south has taken a giant step to shake the regime. Tamil liberation leaders could not ignore this turn of events and they did not. The success of plantation strike is an indication that the plantation workers while demanding Rs. 500/= daily wage, were protesting about the present chauvinist oppression. Is this a new unity forged in action?"

Pro-LTTE agents hailing Wickramabahu's speech in Norway (22.02.2007). The highlighted circles show the 'LTTE emblem' worn by some demonstrators.