Asoka Weerasinghe Kings Grove Crescent . Gloucester . Ontario . Canada

May 8, 2009

The Editor (Letters)
OTTAWA CITIZEN

Sir:

On page A5 in todayƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ (May 8)ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The Ottawa Citizen, you report that CanadaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Cannon distressed by lack of ceasefire in Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ And on page A7 you say ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢Human shieldsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ used in Swat Valley ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” Pakistan starts offensive against TalibanƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

I havenƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t heard howls nor whimpers coming out of CanadaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s House of Commons denigrating PakistanƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s offensive trying to save the human shield-hostages held by the TalibanƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s, nor suggesting that there should be an ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Emergency Debate on PakistanƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ as they did on Sri Lanka on February 4 just because the Sri Lankan Armed Forces were trying to save the Tamil civilians held hostage as Human Shields by the Tamil Tigers.

Canada should stop making Sri Lanka the butt of a sick joke, just because the numbers of Tamils exceed the numbers of Afghanis which would make a difference to win a Federal riding with their votes.

I am disappointed in such ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”You scratch my back and I will scratch your backƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ Canadian politics.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  It boils down toƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ purelyƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  of a case of ‘refugee and family re-unification politics‘.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  There is a lack of sincerity in all this.

Asoka Weerasinghe