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Voices of Tamil-Canadians on Parliament Hill
April 10, 2009
Voices of Tamil-Canadians on Parliament Hill
The following are words from Tamil-Canadians who have been part of an ongoing protest in downtown Ottawa since Tuesday afternoon. The Tamils protests have continued day and night, bringing downtown traffic to a standstill. Demonstrators have focused upon attacks carried out by the Sri Lankan government in the so-called "safe zone" in the northwest region of the country, within which are situated as many as 190,000 civilians and internally-displaced people.
Photo #1: Senathan Nadarajah
"Since January, hundreds have been killed every day, including civilians – women and children! The dead are being left on the ground. There is no burial. The bunkers are full of blood because it is the rainy season so people cannot go inside the bunker. The Safety Zone is not being respected. The Sri Lankan Defense Minister Gotabaya Rajapaksa has been saying that hospitals are a legitimate target, which is a war crime under the Geneva Convention."
"We have asked the Canadian government peacefully over the last four months by writing letters and petitions, gathering in numbers peacefully but nothing has happened. After the news [last week] that 1800 people had been killed, we could not stand it any longer. So we had to come and bring it to their attention. Until the Canadian government takes political and economic action and declares an embargo on Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan government is not going to listen."
Photo #2: Kumughan Nallarhenm
"The Sri Lankan government is using chemical weapons to kill what they call the terrorists – our freedom fighters – using chemical bombs. We have also heard that they have been using these chemical bombs against innocent civilians who are trapped in the safe zone. Chemical bombs are not supposed to be used in any war, and we have ample proof that they have used chemical weapons. No government is condemning that and no leading newspapers have been publishing this. Our community is dying there, it’s going to be wiped out if we let this happen. So I have to protest against this. The Canadian government is maintaining a silence. We have to raise awareness. We have to tell the government, we have to tell the Canadian people that this is happening. We are asking for an immediate ceasefire so that the international monitors can go in and find out what is really going on."
(Not Pictured) Srikumar Baga
"I am here just for the fact that I was born as a Tamil. We are all frustrated and angry about the Sri Lankan government as well as the Canadian government. During the peace talk process in 2006, the Canadian government banned or outlawed the LTTE as a terrorist group. That’s where the trouble started. Even now the Sri Lankan government is blaming its war against terrorists. In my perspective, the way that the Western nations have outlawed our organization is a major cause of this problem. We want the Canadian government to step in, to have an immediate ceasefire in Sri Lanka."
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The Dominion is a monthly paper published by an incipient network of independent journalists in Canada. It aims to provide accurate, critical coverage that is accountable to its readers and the subjects it tackles. Taking its name from Canada's official status as both a colony and a colonial force, the Dominion examines politics, culture and daily life with a view to understanding the exercise of power.
We need to purchase more
We need to purchase more consumer electronics to make our life easier.
Anxiety in the world !
It gives me chronic anxiety when I see problems in the world like this. Serously why cant people get along? Is it really that hard??
The TRUTH!!
The response of the Canadian Government is the true face of Modern Racism". Do you think will the Canadian Government will be silent if Americans, Australians or British or any other Europeans are killed??
i THINK NOW IT IS TIME FOR
i THINK NOW IT IS TIME FOR TAMILS TO ASK FOR THEIR EELAM IN CANADA. AFTERALL CANADA HAS PLENTY OF UNUSED LAND. LOL
Great thanks for bringing humanterian crisis to light!
Thanks for making the tamil crisis in SL a news story!
Thank You
I was in Ottawa this weekend to be with my fellow Tamil Canadians to bring the plight of my people dying in hundreds daily in this genocide. I wish to thank the people of Ottawa for their kindness we experienced during this short stay. From the person who went the extra mile to direct us to our Hotel, to all those who served us with such kindness.
We want our government to understand they are dealing with a failed state who has warned western diplomats that they will be kicked out of the country if they spoke on human rights. Our tax dollards should not be spent by CIDA on programes in countries that are killing their own citizens. Sri Lanka is wageing a 'war without witness' by banning journalists and NGO's to the North and East and expelled all aid workers before starting this war with intent to commit genocide.
It has used chemical weapons, cluster bombs and recently nerve gas to kill thousands. Although the international community is aware more than 250,000 people are in the conflict zone, it understates the numbers. We wish to ask our fellow Canadians to join in our struggle to prevent another Rwandan tragedy to be written in history. Please join us in spreading the word so we may make history in stopping this genocide and detering another country inflicting the same of its people.
Tamils Protest
Thank you very much Mr.Stuart Neatby for giving some coverage to the voiceless and helpless Tamil people dying in hundreds because of the indiscriminate bombing and shelling by the Srilankan Sinhala state terror.
Prime minister Stephen Harper and his governments made a big mistake by banning the LTTE has given the Srilankan State terrorist the green light to continue their Tamil genocide in the name of fighting terrorism.
It is high time for the Canaian government to correct it mistake and support the Tamil freedom struggle before the Srilankan military wipe out the entire Tamil population.
Please continue to give some coverage to this important humanitarian catastrophe.
Thanks to The Dominion for
Thanks to The Dominion for writing our views. Hopefully this will make the public more aware of the true reasons we are here in Ottawa, protesting, and shed light on the fact that it is not merely to congest traffic.
In support of tamileelam
I am with you my Tamil Brothers and sisters all over the world. the time has come for you to speak out and let world know that srilankan government is verse than a terrorist regime and that it has to be immediately removed and peace has to be brought to the tamils.
they are vers than any terrorist group in any aprt of the world and how can they claim to govern people.