Sri Lankan on hunger strike 'close to death'

Coma fear: Paramesweran Subramaniyam

A SRI LANKAN student on hunger strike outside the Houses of Parliament is close to death, his supporters feared today.

Paramesweran Subramaniyam has gone without food for 10 days in protest at the Sri Lankan government's offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels.

The 28-year-old from Mitcham is now refusing water and it is feared he could soon slip into a coma.

Mr Subramaniyam's condition is deteriorating as anger grows among demonstrators about heavy artillery and motar attacks by Sri Lankan forces on a Tamil enclave yesterday following a two-day ceasefire.

Mr Subramaniyam, who has told how his family died in the conflict, is being monitored by doctors in a makeshift tent.

About 700 protesters gathered in Parliament Square last night chanting slogans and waving placards.

Some have warned that more than 50 protesters would be willing to starve themselves to death unless Gordon Brown agrees to withdraw financial aid to the Sri Lankan government.

Organiser Sinthu Siva, 21, said: "This is serious. We have been here for 10 days and people are angry. Everyone is committed and this is now or never. Are people ready to die here to save lives in Sri Lanka? The answer is yes.

"Paramesweran wants a quick solution. We don't want him to die. We hope the Government will notice that.

"But after 10 days your body can easily slip into a coma, and so we are concerned."

Another organiser, Kula Selvan, 32, has been monitoring Mr Subramaniyam's condition.

He said: "He has refused doctors and is not taking water. We are having to force him to have little bits, but he does not want to. He is very weak."

Following the end of the ceasefire, about 100,000 people remain in the Tamil-controlled enclave, which is just 7.7 square miles, according to the United Nations.

Sri Lanka government sources say rebels are preventing civilians escaping. This view is supported by the UN's head of humanitarian affairs, John Holmes.

Rebels say the civilians do not want to leave.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband said he "deplored" the use of civilians as human shields by the Tamil Tigers and called on the Sri Lankan government to announce a new ceasefire.

Mr Miliband also called on the Tamil Tigers to renounce terrorism.

The Foreign Secretary said laying down their arms was a "necessary element" for a long-term solution to the conflict. Mr Miliband also said it was "vital" that a new pause in the fighting would be long enough to allow civilians to leave conflict areas.

He added: "Both sides must abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law and do all they can to protect civilians.

"This includes giving international humanitarian agencies unimpeded access to those affected by the fighting."

Liberal Democrat MP Simon Hughes is helping to arrange for four groups of British Tamil students, each accompanied by a British MP or MEP, to travel to the UN, Washington and Brussels for talks.

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