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Tamil nationalist party ready to face ban

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI Aug. 4. The Tamil Nationalist Movement would continue to support the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and it was ready to face the State Government's moves to ban the party, its general secretary, Suba Veerapandian, said today.

After a meeting of the party's executive held against the backdrop of its leader, P. Nedumaran's arrest under the Prevention of Terrorism Act on August 1, Mr. Veerapandian said the LTTE was not a terrorist outfit but was only a ``freedom movement''. The party would challenge Mr. Nedumaran's arrest under POTA and listing of the LTTE as a terrorist organisation under the newly-introduced legislation.

As for the reported moves by the State Government to ban the Tamil Nationalist Movement, he said, ``we will face it legally''. The RSS and the Communist party were banned, but they were not wiped out.

The party's executive drew up agitational strategies for the release of the 11 POTA detenus, including Mr. Nedumaran, the MDMK leader, Mr. Vaiko, and the former MP, Ganeshamoorthy.

The party activists would stage a novel protest on 16 August in Chennai — a hunger strike and gagging their mouth with black cloth to symbolically oppose the suppression of freedom of speech and expression of views. An anti-POTA motor rally would be taken out from Tirunelveli to Chennai from August 28 to September 1. Besides, a demonstration would be held at Valluvar Kottam here demanding the repeal of POTA.

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