Thursday, August 17, 2006

Anti War, Peace Rally in Colombo


The yougest Buddhist nun Wasgaduwa Sumangala attending the peace rally in Colombo on August 17th 2006, organised by the National Anti War Front

National Anti War Front organised a peace rally in Colombo on August 17th 2006.The peace rally started from Hyde Park in Colombo 2 and went onto Viharamahadevi open air theatre after an hour. The organisers say that, around 1,000 peace loving people and politicians participated along with religious dignitaries. After the peace rally a meeting was held. Few Buddhist monks got onto the stage and asked the organisers to go to Vanni and have the peace rally and meeting there, following which it ended in a brawl.

Peace rallies will be held in fifteen districts throughout the country, and 100,000 peace loving people will gather in Colombo on September 21st 2006, according to the organisers

People from all parts of the Island participated

�Innocent people including children and students are killed. This has to be stopped immediately. The voice of the innocent people has to be heard. All have to work towards genuine peace. We have to represent humanity� says Reverend Brother Hippolius Benedict of Franciscan Church

Participants urged the warring parties to renounce violence

A.S.Perera, corn seller participated in the peace rally

Peace rally will be held throughout the island to urge the value of peace

�Women and children are the worst affected section of communities by war.Women and children of this country have suffered enough. We do not want to see another war in Sri Lanka. The warring parties must work for concrete peace� says Padmini Weerasooriya (45) from Katunayake, Mothers and Daughters of Sri Lanka

All walks of life participated

Participants say that, there is an undeclared war going on, and it has to be stopped immediately

"We do not want war. We want peace" says Sellathurai Raviprakash (30) of Mattakuliya

Participants queried although there is no declared war in Sri Lanka, curfew is imposed in Jaffna peninsula, and there is no communication to North

"We have to forgive each other, and live in harmony" says Alhaj Zufian of Leader of displaced Muslims in Puttalam

The sign in Tamil says:
"Country united against violence..Price of war is high...No matter who and however they burst, blown up ultimately is the country and her future" - Voice of the general public