Thousands of Sri Lankan Tamils protest in London

By Luke Baker

LONDON (Reuters) - Thousands of Tamils blocked streets outside Britain's parliament on Monday, accusing the Sri Lankan government of disregarding civilians caught up in its war against Tamil Tiger rebels and demanding a cease-fire.

Large numbers of police were deployed to contain the peaceful demonstration after it spilt out from the square in front of parliament to block several major streets.

Expatriate Tamils have been demonstrating around the world, but London has been a focus as many Tamils blame Britain, as the former colonial power, for denying them a homeland.

Police asked the protesters to unblock roads, but around 2,000 continued to block a main thoroughfare.

London officers were heavily criticised for their handling of protests during the G20 summit this month and Michael Martin, the speaker of the House of Commons, said the Tamils had been using young children as a shield to deter police action.

"Policemen who have been under criticism for the way they have handled adults are put in the situation that they cannot make any clearance because little children have been put to the perimeter of these demonstrations," he told parliament.

Members of Britain's Tamil population -- estimated to number around 200,000 -- have been demonstrating for two weeks.

Sri Lankan government troops have encircled Tamil fighters in a small pocket in the northeast of the island. Their shelling has raised concerns for the civilians trapped there.