Re: How we should deal with the Tamil boat people
Posted on August 14th, 2010
Jaliya Wickremarachchi Canadian Sri Lankans Against Terrorism
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
Editor
The Toronto Star
One, Young St
Toronto, ON
Dear Editor,
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
It is quite interesting how Mr. Lorne Waldman, a well-known immigration lawyer in Toronto, is trying hisƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ utmost to justify the arrival of another boat load of Tamil Tiger suspects, less than a yearƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ after the first boat that brought 76 of so-called “Tamil refugees.”
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
None of usƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ areƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ surprisedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ of Mr. Waldman’s all out effort toƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ justify the newest arrival,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ since he has a vested interestƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ in this matter, asƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ he is one of the immigration lawyers who will beƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ defending many of these Tamil migrants.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ HeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ already represents almost 25 members from the previousƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ boat that arrived last year.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I must also point out that Mr. Waldman is one ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the four-memberƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ panel hastily assembled by the pro-LTTE, Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC), along with Mr. David Ross -the head of the Canadian Human Rights Voices (CHRV – http://www.chrv.ca/committee.php), another LTTE frontƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ association, run by a group ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Tamil-Canadians to lobby the Canadian authorities, and the media to garner public sympathy and support for the bogus refugees.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
It also does not surprise us, the Sri Lankan-Canadians,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ who know theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ground realityƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ in Sri LankaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ wellƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and the history of theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ LTTE activities in Canada, that immigration lawyers, such as Mr. Waldman, have been defending many LTTE members and their criminal activities in Canada, as it is anƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ extremely lucrative business for the immigration lawyers like him.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
What Mr. WaldmanƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ seems toƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ignoreƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ is the fact that LTTE has been involved in human smuggling business for decades, in addition to other illegalƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ businesses around the globe, which helped them to raise millions of dollarsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ annually.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Of all the Western countries, Canada has been the most favorable to the LTTE fund raising andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ illegal activities, thanks to its liberal and generous immigrationƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and refugee policies -ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and scrupulous immigration lawyers/consultants who help them to exploit the system.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ This explains why Canada is theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ number one choiceƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ for theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Tamil Tigers and for their bogus refugees,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and why they avoidƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ other countries like US, UK, Germany or Australia, where they would not allowƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ LTTE-owned and operated boats,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ loaded with human cargo.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Please watch the interview given by Mr. Martin Colacott, the former CanadianƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ High Commissioner to Sri Lanka,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ to the CTV news last night – which explains how LTTE is targeting Canada for its human smuggling operation. (http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Canada/20100812/refugee-system-tamils-canada-100812/ )
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
It is also important to point out that theseƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ migrants have to payƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ almost $40,000 each to the LTTE,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ for this trip toƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Canada.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ If these TamilsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ have been persecuted orƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ imprisoned in camps, as they claimed, how did they manage to raise such a large amount of money in a countryƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ where a Medical Doctor’sƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ salary isƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ only about $2,000 a month…?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Obviously, these are not someƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ poor refugees fleeing a war-torn country,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ rather they are LTTE membersƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ supported byƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the LTTE international network,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and the LTTE front organizations, such as Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC), which has beenƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ raising millions of dollars in Canada for the LTTE.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ This clearly explainsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ why CTCƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and CHRV areƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ relentless in lobbying Canadian authorities to allow these bogus refugeesƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ into Canada.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Once they landed, and appeal for the refugee status, they know very well that the Canadian welfare system willƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ generously supportƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ them for years, costing Canadian tax payers millions of dollars.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
Mr. Waldman seems eagerƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ toƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ divert the attentionƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ to the situation in Sri Lanka, where he says Tamils are still persecuted and imprisoned, evenƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ after the war whichƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ended last year.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ This is completely inaccurate, and irresponsible of him to make such statements knowing fully well that Sri Lankan government has already released more than 250,000 out of 300,000 ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Internally Displaced People (IDP),ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ since the end of the war inƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ last May 2009.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ In spite of the LTTE propaganda,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ from which Mr. Waldman seems to draw his facts, there is no persecution of Tamils by the Sri Lankan government,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ orƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ restrictions on ordinary Tamil citizens,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ as they are free to move,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ live and workƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ in any part of Sri Lanka.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
The truth is, these Tamils areƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ not someƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ innocentƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ refugees fleeing the war, which is no more.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ They are part of a well-orchestrated human smuggling operation carried out byƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ well-organized LTTE international network, to keep their lucrativeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ businesses alive.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The rest of the world is already aware of this global human smuggling operation, mastermindedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ by the LTTE.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ That is the reason why countries like Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia refuse to accept these LTTE boats full of bogus refugees.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Canada should learn from Australia, which had turned this very same boat away from their territorial water, knowingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ exactly that this boat is part of the LTTE human smuggling operation.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Kudos to Australia for their stand against human smuggling…
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
Unfortunately, Canada does not seem to realise theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ criminal chess games played by theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ shrewd and cunningƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ terrorist organizations likeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the LTTE, which has been sacrificingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ innocent Tamils in Sri Lanka, under the guise of ethnic conflict,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ while taking full advantage of generousƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ immigration and refugee policies in Canada, with the help of shrewd and greedy immigration lawyers.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
It is time that Canadian tax payers open their eyes, and demand that Canadian GovernmentƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ bring its outdated immigration and refugee policies, to fit the needs of the 21st century -ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ in order toƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ preventƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ globalƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ criminal organizations, such as LTTE, using Canada to dumpƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ bogus refugees.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Not to mention the potentialƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ threat to the security of Canada,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ especially to those Sri Lankan-Canadians,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ whoƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ deploreƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ LTTE terrorism and their criminality..
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
Thank you.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
Jaliya Wickremarachchi
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
CSLAT
Canadian Sri Lankans Against Terrorism
Markham, ON Canada.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
August 14th, 2010 at 11:05 pm
We must encourage Canada to take more and more bogus tamil tigers. They will have to look after them. We do not want any racists back in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is a poor country currently trying its best to develop. So, if the tamils want to leave Sri Lanka and go anywhere else they must do so and let Canada and other develop countries help them set up their separate state in those countries.
Back in Sri Lanka we must protect our national waters to make sure that no arms smugglers launch any lucrative business of sending arms to fight another day. I think, thanks to our beloved Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse, it will be very hard for any tiger to smuggle any arms anymore.
August 15th, 2010 at 3:39 am
The lawyer has to earn his crust somehow. Some attempt to do it ethically, and others don’t. These boat people will be flying back to Sri Lanka on holiday next year, (forgetting all the complaints they had when they arrived), paid for by the generous Canadians. It is upto the Sri Lankan government to decide whether they should be allowed on their
soil again.
August 16th, 2010 at 2:58 am
I agree with Priyan. We cannot hold people back. If they want to leave they will leave. The less of them the merrier.