while their cases were reviewed.
Since then the Tamils have been imprisoned aboard Weymouth. They have gone on nunger strike in proles! against the terrible conditions on the prison shio anc to force the government to CONSIC LUCI picc asylum The government recently deciaea lo aeport rive other Tamils. But the court them should have the right to stay while their case is be ing reviewed.
The British government has always argued that it is safe for all Tamils Sinhalese to return to Sri Lanka if they wanted for any criminal offence. The argument is that the Sri ankan government is a democratic government has such guarantees to the British government:
Particular v since the so-called peace accord in Sri Lanka the British government has said that no refugees from Sri Lanka need to be admitted to Bri tain. The peace accord also used to justif the deportation of Viraj Men dis, Sinhalese revolutionary who has been living in Britain for 14 years.
The home office determined to deport Mendis His case has become a national symbol of the fight against the immigration laws The media have been forced to report his case Halks campaign for his right to sras This cludes 4000 people demonstrating in Manchester in support of Mendis on 11 July.
Viraj Mendis Defence Campaign (VMDC) has been able to mobilise strong support, and has made it difficult for attention was focused on British immigration laws when more than 50 Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka had to undress in a London airport to avoid deportation recently. Only court intervention prevented the government deporting them the home office to arrest and deport him.
Ine police can now be sent into the church at any une bul mue nome omc knows that such a move will Cicald problems That is why it has been try. •Dicak luc aularic between the church . Mendis.
Two others with deportation orders against them have taken sanctuary Bradford and Leicester. The home office fears the example might spread A police magazın claimed that Mendi changes letters with con victed IRA terrorists in the Maze This was followed up by a story in th Manchester Evening News all of osychologica preparation for the police t The Manchester Evening News article was followed by a new attack on the church: At six o'clock in the morning bricks and bottles were thrown through the windows. Mendis believes this was done by police onces Meanwhile the VMDC continues to build support for Viraj Mendis right to stay. Every Friday at 5.30 Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester.
• The VMDC campaign is encouraging well-known people to publicly support Viraj, including abroad. Copies of such le ters should be sent to th Bishop of Bishop • Court, Bury • Road, Manchester M7 OLE and to VMDC, c/o North Hulme Centre, Jackson Crescent, Manchester MIS.
MARCH TO 10 DOWNING STREET Saturday October 3rd 1987 Called by: The Movement for Civil Rights and Justice Organised by: Broadwater Farm Youth Association Rally in Hyde Park 3.00pm THERE WILL BE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL SPEAKERS
----- pull-quotes -----
* The Immedlate release of the innocent youths framed and convicted after the