More than a 1000 Tamil activists belonging to various political organizations and social movements laid siege to the Tanjore Air Force base Saturday morning violating prohibitive orders. The activists led by Thamil Desiya Pothuvudamai Katchi (Tamil National Communist Party) General Secretary P. Maniarasan and Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam President Kolathur T.S.Mani were protesting against the air-force base at Thanjavur being used by the Indian Army to supply lethal and non-lethal weaponry to Sri Lanka in its genocidal war on the Tamils.
Speaking to news persons, Maniarasan charged that India's weapon supply to Colombo was routed through the Thanjavur air-force base, from where it would reach the Palali air-force base in Sri Lanka.
According to media sources in Thanjavur, this attempt to besiege the air force base led to a violent confrontation between the police and the activists.
More than 1000 activists, including Tamil leaders Kolathur Mani and Maniarasan have been arrested.
244 of the 1000 people arrested in Thanjavur have been remanded to judicial custody and are presently lodged in the Tiruchi Central Prison. Those imprisoned include women and children.
(Source: TamilNet, Saturday, 31 January 2009, 13:44 GMT)