Asoka Weerasinghe Kings Grove Crescent . Gloucester . Ontario . K1J 6G1 Canada

28 February 2012

Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper, PC., MP
Prime Minister of CanadaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 
House of Commons, Ottawa

Dear Prime Minister:

Not withstanding that letters from Canadians to you are opened by your Correspondence Unit and they decide whether it has value to respond with a reply, and that the chances are nil when the letter is critical of your policy, I have decided to exercise my right as a Canadian to share my observations on your comments about Sri Lanka as I happened to be a Sinhalese-Sri Lankan from theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  opposite camp of the Ragavan-Tamil-Sri Lankans that the Conservatives are now flirting with seeking their votes in the Greater Toronto Area where 12 ridings are in the bidding with the NDP and Liberals also clawing at them.

The ColomboPage of the 27th February of leading news from Sri Lanka had announced that ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Canada PM says wonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t back off Commonwealth boycott.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ It continued: ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Tuesday held firm on his threat to boycott the Commonwealth summit in Colombo later this year calls to make nice with Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-I have indicated that unless changes occur in Sri Lanka I will not be attending the Commonwealth summit there,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Harper said.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

I suppose international diplomacy is what stopped Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s President Mahinda Rajapaksa tell you Prime Minister: ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Unless there is a significant change in the treatment of CanadaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s First Nations, I donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t want you to attend the Commonwealth Summit in Colombo.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Just take a page from how we treat our minority Tamils.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  They are well fed, they are well housed, they are well schooled, they are well medically cared, they are given the freedom of speech and religious rights, you name itƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦they have it all.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  They are the most privileged minority around the world, and that includes Canada!ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

Mr. Prime Minister, your statement of your wanting to boycott the Summit in Colombo is no surprise as it was clear where CanadaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s policy on Sri Lanka was heading when your former Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon came out with a pathetic Press Release afterƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Sri Lanka eliminated, single handed, the most ruthless terrorists in the world, the Tamil Tigers on 19 May 2009 afterƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  a 27 year bloody war which hijackedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  the paramount human right, the right-to-life of 22 million peoples, which you and your government have had difficulty to acknowledge as yet.

The reason for that was clear as a church bell on a Sunday morning. You acknowledge that by eliminating the Tamil Tiger terrorists the Government of Sri Lanka gave back the right-to-life to 22 million of its peoples and there would have been 30,000 Tamils demonstrating on Parliament Hill, along Wellington Street and Sussex Drive under a sea of red Tamil Tiger flags, and blocking the major highways in Toronto, and there is nothing you or your government could have done.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  As according to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms they have the right to demonstrate publicly. They did it in April and MayƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  2009 and they will do it again.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Right, Prime Minister? And the Conservatives would have lost the Ragavan-Tamil bloc votes and you would have lost at least five of the GTA ridings. That is the ground reality and I am no fool not to notice all this.

All Sri Lankans back in Sri Lanka chalked in that Canada was no friend of Sri LankaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  anymore, when it lacked the honesty to pat on Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s back and say, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Way to go Sri Lanka, we are proud of you for eliminating the Tamil Tiger terrorists as we are all fighting to eliminate terrorists around the world.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  In fact we have put behind bars for life a chap calledƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Momin Khawaja for having communicated with British Islamists plotting a bomb attack.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  He didnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t even detonate a bomb and kill thousands of people as the Tamil Tigers did in Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

You had also said Prime Minister: ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-I am concerned with further developments, since I made that statement, which are taking that country in a worse direction.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

So you seem to be really caring for that island nation, donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t you?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  HmmmƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦hard to believe, Prime Minister.

*Are you really trying to tell the Canadians that of the 295,873 Tamils that were rescued from the clutches of the Tamil Tiger terrorists by 19 May 2009, who were used as a human shield, the last batch of the IDPsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  of 1,186 persons from 361 families was resettled in their villages in Mullaitivu on 24 September 2012, was taking the country in the wrong direction? ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Come on Prime Minister that is a bit dumb, isnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t it?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  This little nation has performed miracles.

*Are you really trying to tell the Canadians that with regard to the rehabilitation and subsequent reintegration of ex-combatant Tamil Tigers, from approximately 12,000 persons at the inception, as of 15 January 2013, 396 beneficiaries (378 male and 18 female) are undergoing rehabilitation and 225 are under legal proceeding under the judicially mandated custody remanded or bailed, was taking the country in the wrong direction?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Come on Prime Minister that is a bit dumb isnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t it?

*Are you really trying to tell the Canadians that as of 15 January 2013, 11,456 (9,203 male and 2,253 female) persons, including 594 former Tamil Tiger child soldiers have been rehabilitated and reintegrated into society, was taking the country in the wrong direction?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Come on Prime MinisterƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  that is a bit dumb, isnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t it?

* Are you really telling the Canadians that with the termination of the military operations on 19 May 2009, having whipped the Tamil Tigers to oblivion, and the gradual restoration of normality the strength of the military in the North of Sri Lanka has been reduced considerably.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  That further rationalization of this presence would be considered as most countries would including Canada in line of national security interests.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The former High Security Zones (HSZs) have ceased to exist.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The Palaly Cantonment is now the only area in which some security restrictions remain, has taken the country in the wrong direction?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Come on Prime Minister, that is a bit dumb isnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t it?

* So Prime Minister, you sent your emissary Minister Jason Kenney to Sri Lanka with a baseball bat in his hand to meet the officials in Sri Lanka on 7 January, saying that ‘I am the son of the preacher man’ comeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  to preach to you about human rights violations in Sri Lanka.

This was embarrassing.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  These Sri Lankan officials were polite not to embarrass a visitor by not telling Minister Kenney, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Listen young preacher-man, when your First Nation peoples are demonstrating a stoneƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s throw away from your Parliamentary office in Ottawa and their Chief is on aƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  hunger strike for what they believe that their rights have been violated, why donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t you take the first plane back home, deal with your human rights violations and then preach to us about human rights violations, before our grandmothers come after you with their broom sticks.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Who the heck do you think you are young man to come and preach to us?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

*And then you had your Foreign Minister John Baird dancing his Tamil jig at the UN Council meeting bad-mouthing about Sri Lanka not knowing his facts. He was out of step in his performance all along as he hadnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t learnt the facts about the Tamils in Sri Lanka, nor their Tamil jig properly for his little song and dance about Sri Lanka at the UN. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ That too was embarrassing.

All these preambles no doubts were to create a case for you not toƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ attend the Commonwealth Summit in Colombo to appease the Canadian Tamils.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ThatƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s OK by me as that is yours prerogative.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  If you donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t want to go, for GodƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s sake, stop this song and dance of yours and announce that you will not go and not leave that small window open saying that ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…”ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Harper has warned that he may refuse to attend the CommonwealthƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s next summitƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

Let me tell you one thing that perhaps your Mission in Colombo has not told you.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The 70 percent of the rural Sri Lankans wouldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t care two prairie straws whether the Prime Minister of Canada will attend the Summit or not, knowing that you have not as yet acknowledged the fact that their Sri LankanƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Government gave back their right-to-life having eliminated the Tamil Tigers whom they had feared for 27 bloody years, not knowing when and where the nextƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ claymore mine or suicideƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  bomb will go off.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  They know that Canada is no friend of Sri Lanka any more, ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and they couldn’t care whether you would attend the Summit or not.

And most importantly, I am prepared to bet my last Canadian dollar, Mr. Prime Minister, whether you go to the Summit or not,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  that the sun will rise on the Sri Lankans from the east and shine all dayƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ on them as it hasƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ always done for eons.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  That is the bottom line and that is how the Maliban cookie crumbles.

Very sincerely,

Asoka Weerasinghe (Conservative Party Member and Sustaining Donor No.C11255047 )