Protesters demand release of suspected Tamil prisoners in S. Lanka

(September 14, 2012) More than 500 activists and political party representatives demonstrated in northern Sri Lanka on Wednesday to demand the release of suspected Tamil prisoners. Activists say there are at least 900 political detainees still in custody following the decades-long civil war that ended in 2009, although the government denies there are any. “We need to pressure the government,” said Selvam Adaikalanathan, a parliamentarian from the Tamil National Alliance. The support of the international community is needed, too, he said. Tamils make up 18 percent of the nation’s 20 million people. During the 25-year civil war, insurgents fought to create a separate Tamil state in the northern part of the island nation. They were finally defeated in May 2009.