Sri Lankan flag removed from Newham Council in UK – to gain Tamil’s Votes
The Sri Lankan flag raised at Newham Town Hall
To gain the cheap political advantages, the mayor of Newham, Rokhsana Fiaz OBE and its council members has removed the Sri Lankan national flag from the Newham Town Hall in London to please the Tamil voters who are voting in favour of the current administration of the Newham.
The Sri Lankan national flag has been displayed to mark the national day of Sri Lanka on 4th Feb. It is tradition in many city halls to display various national flags to mark the national days of various communities living in respective City councils in the UK.
However, the mayor of Newham has taken unilateral decision to remove of such flags, which is Sri Lankan flag to please pro-LTTE Tamil community living in Newham without respecting the wishes and rights of other Sri Lankans living in there.
The mayor of Newham Rokhsana Fiaz OBE has issued the email below to pro-LTTE Tamil community expressing her apology of displaying Sri Lankan flag.
Good evening,
I wish to start by expressing my sorrow and regret that this has happened.
As soon as I learned about this today I asked the Chief Executive to investigate because she is legally responsible for the flag raising policy of Newham Council.
I am very disappointed that this has happened and aggrieved by the hurt that it has caused you. I would be very happy to have a meeting with some representatives of the Tamil Community and my Office will be working next week to co-ordinate that. The Chief Executive would also attend.
In the meanwhile the Chief Executive will be writing to everyone who has sent a message in so that you can see it is being seriously considered.
Yours sincerely,
Rokhsana Fiaz OBE
Mayor of Newham
The Chief Executive, Althea Loderick of London Borough of Newham has also issued a letter expressing her deep concern and apology for displaying Sri Lankan flag. At the same time she has stated that – “this absolutely does not excuse the offence we have caused in not recognising the history and struggle of your (Tamil) people. To see the flag that, for you and your community, represents oppression flying as a symbol of honour must have been very hurtful. My apologies go to you and to all of the Newham Tamil community”.
Further she has assured to pro-LTTE Tamil diaspora in UK that, “recognising our error, next year we will not fly the Sri Lankan flag on the date of Sri Lanka’s Independence Day”.
The full text of the messages issued by the Chief Executive, Althea Loderick of London Borough of Newham is as follows;
Dear All,
I wanted to write to all following the concerns you have raised in your emails of 4th February to the Mayor and Newham Councillors regarding the flying of the Sri Lankan flag at Newham Town Hall yesterday. The Mayor had asked me to investigate and to reply on this matter as the flag flying policy is one that sits under the remit of the Chief Executive rather than the Mayor and Members and so the Mayor, Executive and Councillors were not part of the decision-making.
First of all, please let me offer my deepest apologies for the upset and distress the raising of this flag has caused you and the members of the Newham Tamil community. Your emails passionately and articulately explain how upsetting and offensive this was for your community and I can fully understand your distress. The raising of the flag came from a place of good intentions – to celebrate the diversity of our Borough and to show how proud we are that people from so many different communities have chosen to live here – however this absolutely does not excuse the offence we have caused in not recognising the history and struggle of your people. To see the flag that, for you and your community, represents oppression flying as a symbol of honour must have been very hurtful. My apologies go to you and to all of the Newham Tamil community.
You may be assured that, recognising our error, next year we will not fly the Sri Lankan flag on the date of Sri Lanka’s Independence Day.
Thank you for taking the time to write to the Mayor and Councillors on this matter, as it has given us a chance to understand the hurt we have caused and allows us to rectify our mistake going forwards.
Kind regards,
Althea Loderick I Chief Executive
London Borough of Newham
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