Tamil protesters who staged a seven-day hunger strike outside the Australian prime minister's home have announced the end of their protest following assurances their demands had been heard.The five men called off their fast late Friday after a mass demonstration involving up to 8,000 people outside the foreign affairs department in Canberra, a spokeswoman for the protest movement said.
Sam Pari said the men ended their hunger strike as a department representative "had been receptive to their calls and had assured them the Australian government would do what it could to pressure Sri Lanka."
A department spokesman said he could not comment on "what concession was made there" but welcomed the end of their protest.
"There have been demonstrations throughout the world by members of the Sri Lankan community," he told AFP.
"We note the protests in Australia have been peaceful and welcome this.
"We note that there were young men on a hunger strike among the protesters yesterday and we urged those young men to consider other means to express their concerns."
The spokesman said Australia had welcomed a two-day ceasefire called earlier this week, and that its position had always been that a political solution to the conflict was essential for long-term peace in Sri Lanka.
"Australia continues to call on the Sri Lankan government to put forward credible political reforms to engage Tamils and other minorities without delay."
The hunger strikers -- two of whom had been hospitalised with dehydration prior to the rally -- were calling on Australia to pressure Sri Lanka for an immediate and lasting ceasefire with the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, said Pari.
They also wanted food, medicine and aid to be allowed into the conflict zone, and for Tamil people to have freedom of movement, she added.
Similar protests have been held around the world, including a march involving some 100,000 demonstrators through central London last weekend.
Sri Lanka's government says it is in the final stages of defeating the Tamil Tiger rebels, who launched a campaign in 1972 to create a separate Tamil homeland on the Indian Ocean island.
The UN fears that thousands of trapped civilians could be killed or wounded as the Sri Lankan military moves to crush the Tigers.
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