Tamil group plans protest at 2nd Test in Melbourne

Melbourne: A group supporting Sri Lanka`s Tamil ethnic minority says it will protest at the December 26 cricket Test against Australia as part of a campaign to have future cricket matches against Sri Lanka banned.

The Tamil Refugee Council said on Friday it wants Cricket Australia to stop playing matches against Sri Lanka until its government agrees to an independent inquiry into war crimes. Tamil refugee advocate Mal Bala said protesters would gather at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in a bid to raise the public`s awareness of the situation in Sri Lanka. The Tamil Refugee Council says Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa must face an inquiry into alleged war crimes committed at the end of the civil war in 2009. Australia won the first of three Tests last week in Hobart. PTI