100,000 Tamil protesters hit London

LONDON, April 11 (UPI) -- Central London was inundated Saturday with an estimated 100,000 people protesting Sri Lanka's final military push to eliminate the Tamil Tigers, police said.

Metropolitan Police said three marchers were arrested for public order offenses, the BBC reported.

The British network said the demonstration came as one of two Tamil hunger-strikers in London agreed to suspend his fast amid efforts to broker a peaceful end to the long-running civil war in Sri Lanka.

Sivatharsan Sivakumaraval, 21, and Prarameswaran Subramaniam, 28, started their fast Tuesday, saying they were prepared to die unless Britain intervenes in Sri Lanka.

Sivakumaraval said he would accept food if given a signed pledge that he could participate in the peace talks.

Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament Simon Hughes said he would push for a delegation of protesters to go with British envoy Des Browne for talks at the United Nations, Washington and Brussels.

Subramaniam agreed to start drinking liquids and glucose.

The Times of London reported the two hunger-strikers had been in very poor condition Thursday night, but took some sips of water Friday. A doctor said the pair were severely dehydrated and at risk of renal failure and hypothermia.

Sivakumaravel said the Sri Lankan army was responsible for killing children on the northeastern coast of the island where rebels are cornered.

The Sri Lankan military has said the Tamil Tiger rebels were preventing civilians from leaving the region, effectively using them as human shields.