Jim Karygiannis, MP wanting a second Emergency Debate on Sri Lanka
Posted on June 6th, 2009
Asoka Weerasinghe (Mr,) Kings Grove Crescent . Gloucester . OntarioƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Canada
June 5, 2009
Hon. Peter Milliken, MP Speaker of the House of Commons Ottawa, Ontario.
IMPORTANT FOR YOUR ATTENTION AND WISE COUNSEL: REQUEST BY LIBERALS FOR 2ND EMERGENCY DEBATE ON SRI LANKA
Dear Speaker Milliken:
If ever there was a day when a Member of Parliament got up in the House and embarrassed Canada, it was on June 3rd, 2009.
Listening to the Honourable Member from Scarborough-Agincourt reciting false statements and that entire diatribe about Sri Lanka was so disingenuous, lacking integrity, decency, and morality.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I was flabbergasted when I heard him speak, and asked myself, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-How could this man be so dishonest, to be so hateful and opportunistic wanting to benefit from a sad human crisis in Sri Lanka so that he could debate one more time on Sri Lanka in the Canadian parliament, creating a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Theatre of Tamil Tiger BlarneyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ to appease his Tamil constituents and cement that bloc of votes getting ready for the next federal election?ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚
Mr. Speaker, this Member of Parliament has been spitting and throwing rocks at Sri Lanka for the past 15 years or so and now he wants to nail that sovereign island nation to the wall for good and watch it keep bleeding to eternity. This is not the Canadian way to pick up a fallen Commonwealth sister nation and help her back on her feet to health.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I am shocked.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I am disgusted.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Permit me to present my case to rubbish his claims for wanting to tie up parliamentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s business for the second Emergency Debate on Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I hope your wise counsel will not provide this man with this opportunity and his coterie of his Liberal colleagues who supported his request.
I am cognizant of the fact that I will be rubbishing your colleagues from your Liberal party, but I genuinely feel comfortable and certain that I can expect impartiality from you and be judge and jury of what was voiced in parliament, theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Karygiannis Tamil TruthƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, and my counter explanation , the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Asoka Sri Lankan FactsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and arrive at your own judicious conclusion.
1.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Karygiannis Tamil Truth: He said, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-In Sri Lanka today, we have people who are residing in refugee camps with little or no medical assistance, little or no clean drinking water, and little or no food.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚
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Asoka Sri Lanka Facts:ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Correct.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The 280,000 Tamil civilians who were liberated by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces held hostage by the Tamil Tigers as human shields are now living in temporary welfare villages.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The very fact that these civilians crossed over to the government controlled areas including thousands of Tamil Tiger cadres having thrown their assault-rifles and cyanide capsules into the lagoon is proof that they trusted the Sri Lankan Armed Forces more than the Tamils Tigers who were their custodians for years and wanting to live a life of peace among the majority Sinhalese.
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The US Congress delegation lead by Congressman Heath Shuler (Democrat-North Carolina) that arrived in Sri Lanka on May 26 and went on an observation tour of these relief centers where these liberated Tamil civilians were accommodated said, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-We saw the standards of relief villages where the Internally Displaced are accommodated are good and impressive, and of much higher standard than described by some media.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚
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The US delegation also discussed programs being carried out by the Northern Development Task Force to re-settle the displaced within a short period of 180 days, and also about the development processes to be initiated in the area to expedite the setting up of an environment suitable for livelihood development of the resettled people.
They were impressed that the Sri Lankan Government had moved mountains to accommodate over a quarter of a million people in just 10 days.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Sri Lanka certainly needs more assistance to move more mountains and not critics who have a negative mind-set like the Honourable Member for Scarborough-Agincourt.
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Today even the late Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai PrabhakaranƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s parents are now being well cared for by the Government in one of the Welfare Villages.
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Although it is daunting to feed and attend to the health of 280,000 people, the Sri Lankan Government is coping well with the help of local and foreign NGOs.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Among other volunteer groups, ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The ChefƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Guild of Sri Lanka an association of restaurant and hotel chefs have stepped up to cook 30,000 meals a day for these Displaced civilians.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ These Tamil civilians are certainly not dying of starvation an impression given to you by the Honourable Member for Scarborough-Agincourt.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The Government Medical services are looking after pregnant mothers and children as a priority for the Government which is acknowledged by INGOs.
The Indian Mobile Makeshift Hospital and medical staff have been shifted today from Pulmudai to Chetticulum in order to provide a better medical service to the civilians who are temporarily housed in welfare villages. There are medical clinics and government doctors volunteering to care for the sick.
I hope you will agree with me that the Karygiannis Tamil Truth is a cart load of rubbish wanting to sully and hurt Sri Lanka more.
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2.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Karygiannis Tamil Truth:ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ He said, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-We hear reports of mass graves and over 20,000 people missing.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ We hear reports of women being raped in these camps, children being separated from their parent and men being separated from their wives.
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Asoka Sri Lanka Facts: ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It was the Times of London that announced that 20,000 civilians were killed during the last four months, and no where did I read reports of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-20,000 people missingƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ When the Sri Lankan Government wanted to know where the Times got those figures, they claimed that it had gathered its own evidence, though with characteristic sleight of hand it tried to draw the UN in too.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The UK which is now smarting and embarrassed after the defeat of the UN Human Rights Council motion to charge the Sri Lankan Government of War Crimes has come out with unsubstantiated figures to pin the Sri Lankan Government again.
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John Holmes, the UN Humanitarian Chief dismissed this 20,000 figure by the media as mischievous and said, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-The Times figure was based on an unverified and unofficial UN estimate of about 7,000 civilians dying during the end of April.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The war ended on May 18th, when the most ruthless Tamil terrorists Tamil Tigers were wiped out by the Armed Forces for good.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I hasten to add that the nine GTA Liberal parliamentarians who depend on the Tamil votes are smarting with this finality.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ They, on November 6, 2007, during a vigil at the Markham Recreation Ground together with 10,000 of their Tamil constituents christened these terrorists as ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Doves of PeaceƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, only to have dove-eggs ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ splattered all over their faces ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ six days later, as their ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Doves of PeaceƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ metamorphosed into ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Killer DovesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ having claymore mined a commuter bus that killed 64 innocent passengers.
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As for the charge of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-rapeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, I would consider this as this parliamentarianƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s mental state of debauchery to consider this as a possibility in crowded welfare villages.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The Globe & Mail of Monday, May 25, carried an aerial photograph ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ of a welfare ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”tentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢village of thousands of ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ tentsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ atƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ very close proximity in platoon formations at the Manik Farm camp.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The privacy between neighbouring tents must be limiting as I am sure they must be hearing the neighbour breathing.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ They looked that close together that a female scream of protest would penetrate all the pores of every canvas wall of these tents many meters away, and whistle in like a soccer umpireƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s warning of foul play.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ This insinuation from this Member of Parliament is ridiculous and perverse.
Unless a male had a death wish I doubt no fool would want to rape a woman in that closeted village as I am certain he would be clubbed to death by the womanƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s family and neighbours. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ What is possible however, is if that rape happened to be a silent, none heavy breathing-ecstatic union? This honourable parliamentarian should be able to explain to you of that possibility.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Is his charge a one event affair or a hundred events affair.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ His response will make it easy for you to judge whether it was a vindictive hoax of a man who would do anything to get you to agree for the second debate in parliament as obviously he is hungry for every Tamil vote in his riding.
It is correct to say that families were separated when they made a mad dash to freedom from the Tamil Tigers who were shooting at them when they were fleeing.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ However, the Government has been in the process of registering and screening these refugees and reunifying families that lost each other. Further to this exercise the Government has also started to let the older civilians to reunite with their families living outside the welfare villages, once they have been identified.
As for the children, the Globe and Mail of 25 May reported that officials from UNICEF had told them that they have had full access to northern Tamil children, who make up 40 percent of the population of the welfare villages, and that they are satisfied that all are with their parents and any unaccompanied children have been reunited with family members in the south of the island.
UNICEF in that same report concluded that they cast doubt on the credibility of rumours, printed in the British press and elsewhere, that children had been snatched from the camps by ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ para-militia groups.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ This article was by-lined by Doug Saunders.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Thus this Member of ParliamentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s charges against the Sri Lankan Government have all elements of a person of a vindictive mindset.
Continuing on the theme of ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Tamil children that this Member of Parliament for Scarborough-Agincourt is so concerned about Mr. Speaker, the Sri Lankan Government has already sent 10,000 sets of school furniture and 25,000 school uniforms for the children in these welfare villages to continue their studies where 3,000 teachers are among the refugees in make shift schools.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ That sure is better than having the Tamil Tigers whipping them to attention and handing them assault rifles and teach them how to shoot at their enemy and garland them with a cyanide capsule on a string to bite on it if they are captured.
3.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Karygiannis Tamil Truth:ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ He said, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-While the government has allocated a pittance for the humanitarian assistance, it has done nothing to further pursue the intervention of the international community to ensure an end to this human suffering.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚
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AsokaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Sri LankanƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Facts:ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ While I question this honourable parliamentarian, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-How the heck did you come to know that the Government of Sri Lanka has allocated a pittance for the humanitarian assistance?ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I would also take the liberty to tell him, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Just cut out
that dishonest poppy-cock, as I know where you are coming from.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚
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The international community has their presence in the form of NGOƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s helping to alleviate the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-human sufferingƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ There have been 52 recognized NGOs like ICRC, Care Canada and World Vision mandated to operate inside the welfare IDP villages. More have been permitted to enter the villages after having come to an agreement with the government for the use of their air-conditioned vehicles which raised a lot of dust and dirt in the air leading to an environmental issue.
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It has been an extraordinary humanitarian gesture by the Sri Lankan Government for wanting to welcome so many international NGOs into the welfare villages even after finding that some NGOs had attempted to smuggle out groups of youth from these villages, which made the Government, quite rightly, impose certain restrictions on the movement of vehicles.
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Thus this parliamentarianƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s charge had no basis at all and you ought to question why and arrive in your judgment, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Should I permit a second debate on Sri Lanka based on such falsehoods.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚
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4.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Karygiannis Tamil Truth: He said, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-This government also has not worked with the international community to ensure that a permanent solution is found and instituted in order to prevent further bloodshed in Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚
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AsokaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Sri Lankan Facts: ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Mr. Speaker, see who is talking!ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ This parliamentarian has no moral authority to talk of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-further blood shedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ in Sri Lanka when it was his party when in power for 13 years that ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ let the Tamil Diaspora stuff the Tamil Tiger war chest with 2 million dollars each month, to continue the bloodshed by his groupies, the Tamil Tigers, who killed with guns and bullets and bombed with claymore mines.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Subsequently 32 million of us Canadians have a film of Sinhalese and Muslim blood on our palms, and yours too Mr. Speaker.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ And it is amazing to notice his western colonial attitude to be so presumptuous that they can right the wrong that they created in the first place, the BritishƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s divide and rule policy.
The President of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa has made it abundantly clear that they will search for a home-grown solution to their problems through a political process.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ He has announced that his government has already established an all-inclusive framework to guide the process of building burnt bridges between the communities, the healing process of love, compassion, equality and prosperity, reconstruction, resettlement and socio-economic renewal under the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Northern SpringƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ programme.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ In other words, asking the international voices like that of the Honourable Member for Scarborough-Agincourt to shut up and back off.
Mr. Speaker, you have no reason to doubt this President who is already on the path of achieving all this having established temporary welfare villages for the 280,000 Tamil civilians liberated from the clutches of the Tamil Tiger terrorists, which are much more healthier and richer in all aspects than of our indigenous peoples in the remote Davis Inlet in Labrador.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ And that is a fact and the Member of Scarborough-Agincourt has no reason to cry about and be so vindictive.
On no account should we let any Canadian hinder the process and progress that Sri Lanka is striving for a harmonious future, and certainly not the Honourable Member for Scarborough-Agincourt, as he spells E-v-i-l.
I now rest my case, Mr. Speaker, having placed before you facts that have blown asunder the several masks of the Honourable Member for Scarborough-Agincourt who is trying to nail Sri Lanka to the wall and perversely watch it bleed for ever.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ As a Canadian politician, I am afraid, he ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ has a mindset of a sick, a cruel, a dishonestƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ political mugger, of an opportunist and no darling of the Government of Sri Lanka and her peoples sans the Tamils who he seems toƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ be having an incredible love affair with for over a decade.
With ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”AsokaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Sri Lankan FactsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, for your guidance I would like to believe that your wisdom will call you to reject the request for the second Special Emergency Debate on Sri Lanka and not allow your august Chamber of the House to be converted into another ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Theatre of Tamil Tiger BlarneyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, as we saw it the first time around on the evening of February 4th, this year.
Yours sincerely,
Asoka Weerasinghe (Mr,)ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚