Ira de Silva London, Ontario

The Honourable Hugh Segal
Member of the Senate of Canada ,
Ottawa, Ontario

Dear Sir:

I am writing to you regarding your views expressed prior to your visit to Sri Lanka when you claimed that you were going with an open mind and your snide remarks at a meeting in Sri Lanka at the lecture titled “The Commonwealth asƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Force for Good” where you wereƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ a guest, whichƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ indicate that far from having an open mind, you were expressing the same biased, belligerent attitude of your fellow members of the Conservative Party in the Canadian Government.

You attended the lecture after visiting the north of Sri Lanka and had seenƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  the effortƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ by Sri Lanka to develop that part of the country which had been laid to waste by the LTTE for the past 30 years which is why you refer to concrete superstructures.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ However you went on to say “butƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  superstructures of civility and generosity would be of immense value”.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  You imply that there is a lack of civility and generosity. IfƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ re-directing most of Sri Lanka’s post war spendingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ to the war ravaged areas of the north, perhaps at the expense of the other parts of the country, is not generosity, what is? As for civility, can you explain what was “uncivil” in the effort to restoreƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ peace and an create an environment in which the people of the country canƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ resume their normal lives?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  That you have recognised the huge difficulties that needed to be overcome and seen the tremendous achievements made in such a short space of time butƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  refuse to acknowledge progress,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ indicates how mean spirited Canada is, that you are not generous and that certainly you are uncivil.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Considering that Canada has permittedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ fundingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ of Tamil terrorism for decades, perhaps you are just expressing Canada’s disappointment thatƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ terrorism was ended andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  that you can not report back to yourƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  government and Canadian TamilƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ supporters of LTTE terrorism that development is taking place,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  that there is peaceƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ that civilians are livingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ without fearƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ which was what Canada was supporting prior to 2009.

Canada’s bias and prejudice, as indicated by the constant efforts by your government to harass Sri Lanka is the message that you are conveying as did the Minister of Immigration on his visit to Sri Lanka in January and his report back to his Tamil LTTE supporters in Toronto on his return.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It does not require the Commonwealth meeting for Canada to do that – you have made it clear. Canada is just using the CHOGM to bully and try to dictate to Sri Lanka. Members of the Commonwealth are equalƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and therefore it can be a force for good unlike the UN where western dictates are forced on countries because of inequality. It is a principleƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ which Canada does not seem to understand believing that it is the “new colonial power” and can do at the Commonwealth what the U.S., CanadaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and other western countries do at the UN.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Mr. Kenney’s statements made it clear that all these accusations/demands were at the behest of the LTTE supporters in Canada and Sri Lanka is well aware of this. If Canada decides not to attend it will not mean much except perhaps to the LTTE supporters whose message Canada is taking to the meeting. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Sixteen countries did not attend the meeting in 2011 but none of them made these obnoxious comments before or after.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Why does Canada attend the meetings ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  the Francophonie Summit in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country run by aƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  brutal leadershipƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  without a whimper about human rights, civility, generosity etc? It is because Canada has no principles,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ just double standards and hypocrisy guiding it’s foreign policy.

You state that the CHOGM provides Sri Lanka with the opportunity to make real initiatives on the issues. What issues? Without Canada’s bullying and dictation, Sri Lanka has been dealing with the aftermath of terrorism andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ is doing it’s best at reconstruction, healing wounds andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ reconciliation with no help from Canada.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ As for accountability, when is the Canadian government going to even consider being accountable to Sri Lanka for knowingly permitting Canadian citizens to fund terrorism in Sri Lanka that killed and injured thousands as well as destroyed economic development? The problem is that while Canada believes that it can condemn and dictate to Sri Lanka it does not believe that it should live by the same principles.

For Canada to be taken seriously by Sri Lankans, who are well aware that terrorism was condoned by successive Canadian governmentsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ contrary to your claim that Canada has a zero tolerance for terrorism and that now the LTTE supporters in Canada are dictating Canadian policy on Sri Lanka as indicated by Mr. Jason Kenney’s statements, as well as the factƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ that CanadaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ hasƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ a poor record on humanitarian issues evidenced by it’s treatment of it’s own citizens,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Canada should deal with these issues first. Until then Canada has no rightƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ to dictate/criticize Sri Lanka or any other country.

Yours truly,

Ira de Silva

London, Ontario