rapa
04-25-2007, 10:39 AM
The Ignominious Saga of the Mystery Ball – Sri Lankan Patriots Protest at Los Angeles Amnesty International Office
"We know, no details of the ball campaign"
- Kathy Brown-, (Head of AI's Los Angeles office)
"….Our ball may be a "slinger" or a "Doosra" based on the line & length of theirs"
-Gamini Edirisinghe- (Co Secretary,"Sri Lanka Patriots")
http://www.go2lanka.com/amopics/aiprotest_007b.jpg
LBW? : Yes ma'am you are covering the LTTE!
(AI's LA office head, Kathy Brown listens to the petition being read over by the protesters)
(photo by: Sunil Ranjith De Alwis and Gamini Edirisinghe)
http://www.go2lanka.com/amopics/aiball_001B.jpg
(By a special correspondent )
Los Angeles:Shouting slogans such as "AI bowled by terrorists," Sri Lankans gathered outside Amnesty International's Los Angeles office in Culver City in the afternoon of April 20 to protest the human rights group's controversial 'Sri Lankan Play by the Rules' campaign.
"Sri Lankan Patriots", a voluntary organization formed by the Sri Lankan expatriates living in Los Angeles County, organized the protest rally. On a busy and eventful rainy Friday afternoon the members and others had gathered to question the AI, why they were relentlessly targeting a democratically elected government, when it is using its legitimate powers to curb the activities of one of world's deadliest terrorist organizations, while the AI is maintaining a very suspicious and conspicuous silence over the most inhumane atrocities committed by a terrorist organization named as such through out the world including USA, UK, EU and India. http://www.go2lanka.com/amopics/aiprotest_006.jpg
In defense of the gentleman's' game
The head of the LA office, Kathy Brown was invited by the protesters to the street to deliver a petition signed by hundreds of Lankans against AI's dubious campaign "Play by the Rules". On behalf of the protestors Shanthini Rowel read out the text of the petition to Kathy and requested that it be delivered to their head office in London. The affable Kathy Brown with a broad friendly smile spread across her face explained that there will not be any ball campaigns in LA and that she has not been detailed, of it being carried out in any other city or country. "I also do not know how many balls have been signed so far", mentioned Kathy answering a question raised by a protestor."Please ask our head office in Washington". The protestors were left wondering in the absence of any substantial information from the office after Kathy disappeared with the excuse that she was busy. http://www.go2lanka.com/amopics/aiprotest_002.jpg
The dreaded "LTTE Pandu" that bowled the AI
"Why should the AI hide a campaign if it is for the betterment of those whose rights have been violated"? queried protestor Kanthi. I know that the terrorists do their stuff in the hiding", she added. http://www.go2lanka.com/amopics/aiprotest_003.jpg
AI or not we will survive
The Co Secretary of the "Sri Lankan Patriots" Gamini Edirisinghe declared, "We too have a ball ready for their ball. It may be a "slinger" or a "Doosra", depending on what line length their ball would trail. We will carry our campaign face to face with theirs, in any part of the world"
A protestor carrying a placard "AI quo Vaduz?" queried whether these champions of HR have voiced their dissent in Wanni with the same intensity against the terror group.
"Why is AI silent on the absence of freedom of expression of Tamils in Wanni [under LTTE control]. Is it through fear, favor or fervent aspiration to lead the other Rights organizations by catchwords without substance?" thundered Gamini http://www.go2lanka.com/amopics/aiprotest_008.jpg
AI do not politicize Cricket
"How would they go on without terrorists? It's for AI's benefit to defend the terrorists for their own survival ". Commented Narada Gangadara who had traveled all the way from Riverside, a distance of 100 miles.
"Cricket is for all in Sri Lanka. Embraced by the rich and the poor thoroughly enjoyed by all communities and ethnic groups. Why desecrate this sanctimonious platform by introducing the dreaded concepts of politics in the name of human rights"? Added Narada
"Has AI lost its (ball) bearings?" yelled Dushan who, despite difficulties of finding a substitute in order to leave his work, somehow made it to the rally.
The protestors loud chanting of slogans were heard for many hours on the street of Overland. A leaflet explaining the cause was distributed amongst the curious onlookers, passers by and many hundreds of vehicle commuters crossing the busy inter section. The intermittent rain that swept the city of LA was no barrier for the protestors. They were constantly chanting "AI for the terrorists"; "AI batting for LTTE"; amidst the loud vehicular noise stemming from the thousands of vehicles that passed through the large culvert of the near by freeway on the busy Friday afternoon.
The saffron color of the robes of the Buddhist monks who attended the rally was seen distinctly among the young and old patriots who were gathered for a cause that bothered their conscious. The rally ended around 5.30PM with a word of thanks from Rohitha Sudharshana, Vice President of "Sri Lankan Patriots".
"We know, no details of the ball campaign"
- Kathy Brown-, (Head of AI's Los Angeles office)
"….Our ball may be a "slinger" or a "Doosra" based on the line & length of theirs"
-Gamini Edirisinghe- (Co Secretary,"Sri Lanka Patriots")
http://www.go2lanka.com/amopics/aiprotest_007b.jpg
LBW? : Yes ma'am you are covering the LTTE!
(AI's LA office head, Kathy Brown listens to the petition being read over by the protesters)
(photo by: Sunil Ranjith De Alwis and Gamini Edirisinghe)
http://www.go2lanka.com/amopics/aiball_001B.jpg
(By a special correspondent )
Los Angeles:Shouting slogans such as "AI bowled by terrorists," Sri Lankans gathered outside Amnesty International's Los Angeles office in Culver City in the afternoon of April 20 to protest the human rights group's controversial 'Sri Lankan Play by the Rules' campaign.
"Sri Lankan Patriots", a voluntary organization formed by the Sri Lankan expatriates living in Los Angeles County, organized the protest rally. On a busy and eventful rainy Friday afternoon the members and others had gathered to question the AI, why they were relentlessly targeting a democratically elected government, when it is using its legitimate powers to curb the activities of one of world's deadliest terrorist organizations, while the AI is maintaining a very suspicious and conspicuous silence over the most inhumane atrocities committed by a terrorist organization named as such through out the world including USA, UK, EU and India. http://www.go2lanka.com/amopics/aiprotest_006.jpg
In defense of the gentleman's' game
The head of the LA office, Kathy Brown was invited by the protesters to the street to deliver a petition signed by hundreds of Lankans against AI's dubious campaign "Play by the Rules". On behalf of the protestors Shanthini Rowel read out the text of the petition to Kathy and requested that it be delivered to their head office in London. The affable Kathy Brown with a broad friendly smile spread across her face explained that there will not be any ball campaigns in LA and that she has not been detailed, of it being carried out in any other city or country. "I also do not know how many balls have been signed so far", mentioned Kathy answering a question raised by a protestor."Please ask our head office in Washington". The protestors were left wondering in the absence of any substantial information from the office after Kathy disappeared with the excuse that she was busy. http://www.go2lanka.com/amopics/aiprotest_002.jpg
The dreaded "LTTE Pandu" that bowled the AI
"Why should the AI hide a campaign if it is for the betterment of those whose rights have been violated"? queried protestor Kanthi. I know that the terrorists do their stuff in the hiding", she added. http://www.go2lanka.com/amopics/aiprotest_003.jpg
AI or not we will survive
The Co Secretary of the "Sri Lankan Patriots" Gamini Edirisinghe declared, "We too have a ball ready for their ball. It may be a "slinger" or a "Doosra", depending on what line length their ball would trail. We will carry our campaign face to face with theirs, in any part of the world"
A protestor carrying a placard "AI quo Vaduz?" queried whether these champions of HR have voiced their dissent in Wanni with the same intensity against the terror group.
"Why is AI silent on the absence of freedom of expression of Tamils in Wanni [under LTTE control]. Is it through fear, favor or fervent aspiration to lead the other Rights organizations by catchwords without substance?" thundered Gamini http://www.go2lanka.com/amopics/aiprotest_008.jpg
AI do not politicize Cricket
"How would they go on without terrorists? It's for AI's benefit to defend the terrorists for their own survival ". Commented Narada Gangadara who had traveled all the way from Riverside, a distance of 100 miles.
"Cricket is for all in Sri Lanka. Embraced by the rich and the poor thoroughly enjoyed by all communities and ethnic groups. Why desecrate this sanctimonious platform by introducing the dreaded concepts of politics in the name of human rights"? Added Narada
"Has AI lost its (ball) bearings?" yelled Dushan who, despite difficulties of finding a substitute in order to leave his work, somehow made it to the rally.
The protestors loud chanting of slogans were heard for many hours on the street of Overland. A leaflet explaining the cause was distributed amongst the curious onlookers, passers by and many hundreds of vehicle commuters crossing the busy inter section. The intermittent rain that swept the city of LA was no barrier for the protestors. They were constantly chanting "AI for the terrorists"; "AI batting for LTTE"; amidst the loud vehicular noise stemming from the thousands of vehicles that passed through the large culvert of the near by freeway on the busy Friday afternoon.
The saffron color of the robes of the Buddhist monks who attended the rally was seen distinctly among the young and old patriots who were gathered for a cause that bothered their conscious. The rally ended around 5.30PM with a word of thanks from Rohitha Sudharshana, Vice President of "Sri Lankan Patriots".