{"id":111667,"date":"2021-02-14T15:59:03","date_gmt":"2021-02-14T22:59:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=111667"},"modified":"2021-02-14T15:59:03","modified_gmt":"2021-02-14T22:59:03","slug":"mp-gary-anandasangarees-baseless-campaign-to-push-for-a-mono-ethnic-separate-state-in-the-north-and-east-of-sri-lanka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2021\/02\/14\/mp-gary-anandasangarees-baseless-campaign-to-push-for-a-mono-ethnic-separate-state-in-the-north-and-east-of-sri-lanka\/","title":{"rendered":"MP Gary Anandasangaree’s baseless campaign to push for a Mono-Ethnic Separate State in the North and East of Sri Lanka"},"content":{"rendered":"
Mahinda Gunasekera Tambrook Drive  Agincourt, ON  M1W 3L9<\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
Dear Madam Jean Yip,
 
 MP Gary Anandasangaree’s baseless campaign to push for a Mono-Ethnic Separate State in the North and East of Sri Lanka<\/strong>
 
 I am a resident of Scarborough-Agincourt for the past 38 years having migrated to Canada in 1975.\u00a0 I understand that MP Gary
 Anandasangaree who is a member of the Liberal Party caucus has arranged a Zoom meeting for parliamentarians on the 10th of
 February to canvass support for a resolution on Sri Lanka aimed at establishing a Mono-Ethnic Separate State encompassing 35
 percent of the island’s land area and 60 percent of the coastline and adjacent territorial waters for Tamils numbering approximately
 5 percent resident in the region. Majority of the Tamils in the range of 55 – 58 percent live outside the region in mixed ethnic
 surroundings cohabiting peacefully with the Sinhalese, Muslims, Malays, Indian Tamils, and Burghers living in the rest of the country.\u00a0 
 The Tamil community which stood at 12 percent in 1981 has declined to around 10.5 percent with a million or more immigrating 
 mainly to western countries, while the Sinhalese are around 75 percent, with the Muslims accounting for about 9 percent, the
 Indian Tamils brought in by the British in the 19th and 20th centuries for work on plantations making up about 5.5 percent and the
 balance 0.5 percent made up of Malays, Burghers and others. Gary A seems to be more interested in creating a separate state for
 Tamils in Sri Lanka than the welfare of Canadians and the advancement of Canada although elected to Canada’s parliament.
 
 The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) which was designated an international terrorist movement by the UNSC in September 2001 
 has been described as the most ruthless terrorist group by the FBI, and similarly proscribed by Canada in April 2006.\u00a0 Canada also banned
 the World Tamil Movement (WTM) designating them a terrorist group in 2008, as they were found to be raising funds for the LTTE’s terrorist
 activities.\u00a0 Soon after a new organization called the Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) was formed with new faces while the activists of the WTM
 operated from behind the scenes.\u00a0 Gary A claims to be the Legal Advisor to the CTC, and has been among the first to meet with former LTTE
 cadres and supporters who came by boat to Vancouver to seek asylum in Canada aboard the Ocean Princess and Sun Sea apparently to coach
 them to navigate the legal procedures prior to grant of refugee status.\u00a0 
 
 Following the adoption of a motion by the extremist Tamil political parties in 1972 called the ‘Vadukkodai Resolution’ to set up a separate
 state called “Eelam”, where they envisaged the youth to take up arms, violence spread throughout the areas predominantly settled by Tamils
 with the youth targeting and killing unarmed police officers, local politicians, the Mayor of Jaffna, needing the introduction of emergency 
 regulations. India which had close ties to the Soviet Bloc at the time did not like Sri Lanka building ties to the USA with broadcasting rights
 being granted to the Voice of America. India the regional power stepped in to arm, train and fund the Tamil guerrilla groups in Indian military
 bases in order to destabilize her tiny neighbour Sri Lanka. The LTTE led by Velupillai Prabhakaran engaged in internecine warfare with the other
 Tamil rebel groups killing large numbers to gain ascendancy of the separatist armed warfare. With the funding received from India, Tamilnadu
 and expat Tamils, the LTTE grew into a formidable fighting force with a land army, naval wing called the Sea Tigers, a large fleet of ocean going
 vessels to transport and store armaments, a miniature night time bombing air force, a squadron of 600-750 suicide bombers, Over five thousand
 abducted and conscripted Child Soldiers used as storm troopers in unceasing waves many of them under 15 years making it a war crime, and a  trained people’s army of around 12,000 called the Makkal Padai. \u00a0 
 
 In addition to money raised through human smuggling, drug smuggling, passport fraud and other illicit activities, the LTTE amassed a huge war 
 chest by extorting Tamil individuals and businesses sums extending from $5,000 to $100,000 to launch their so called final war of liberation at 
 the end of 2005.( Refer: https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/report\/2006\/03\/14\/funding-final-war\/ltte-intimidation-and-extortion-tamil-diaspora<\/a> ). The LTTE
 cut off drinking and irrigation water to 30,000 families dependant on waters from the Mavil Aru in July 2006.\u00a0 The Sri Lankan authorities sought 
 to have the water restored with the intervention of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission made up of Nordic representatives, but as they failed to 
 have the LTTE resume the water supplies from the sluice gate even after two weeks, the Sri Lankan authorities were compelled to take military 
 action to compel the LTTE forces to withdraw.\u00a0 The withdrawing LTTE forces next threatened Sri Lanka’s naval base at Trincomalee thereby 
 extending the military confrontation to other regions as well. The Sri Lankan Army succeeded in forcing the LTTE forces spread out throughout 
 the north and east to retreat from their strongholds.\u00a0 The retreating LTTE forces compelled the Tamil civilians living in the regions\u00a0 usurped by 
 them to accompany them from the northwest coast to their final stronghold in the northeast in Mullivaikkal.\u00a0 They used the Tamil civilians to 
 exploit them for their labour, conscript them to replace fallen cadre and serve as a human shield in the final battleground which is a war crime.
 
 The ICRA reported that over 50 percent of the LTTE fighting cadres battled in civilian attire thereby blurring the distinction between innocent 
 civilians and their armed fighters.\u00a0 The LTTE did not allow the civilians to move out of their area of control despite Sri Lanka declaring two 48 
 hour ceasefires in February and April 2009, and even fired on those Tamil civilians that attempted to flee to safety including artillery fire and 
 suicide attacks to keep them from abandoning the LTTE fighters.\u00a0 This is confirmed in dispatches sent by Britain’s Military Attache in Colombo, 
 Colonel Anthony Gash in his reports submitted to the UK Government’s Foreign Office, according to the presentation by Lord Naseby in the 
 British House of Lords.\u00a0 Col. A. Gash has estimated a total of around 7000 deaths of which 25 percent or more is attributed to the LTTE shooting 
 at fleeing civilians and not the hundreds of thousands claimed by LTTE supporters. The military action taken against the LTTE was successfully
 concluded on May 19, 2009.
 
 The UNSG appointed a Panel of three led by Marzuki Darussman on his own accord without the sanction of the UNGA or the UNSC which reported that 40,000 had been killed during the latter 
 stages from January 1 to May 18, 2009 without distinguishing between LTTE fighters and civilians. The panel admitted that their report did not meet the standards of a UN report and based their
 conclusions on what they claimed are “Credible Allegations”.\u00a0 They claimed that tens of thousands had perished during the latter stages in 2009 which they estimated at 40,000 without 
 distinguishing between LTTE cadres and genuine civilians. The UNSG’s panel of experts recommended that their one sided report prepared from their offices in New York without visiting Sri 
 Lanka be locked away for the next 20 years till the year 2031.
 
 
 \u00a0ICRC which ferried injured for treatment stated the total WIA was 18,439.\u00a0 The injured normally is 2-3 times the KIA which makes the injured total to be between 80,000 and 120,000. Gordon 
 Weiss the UN Spokesperson in Colombo claimed a total of 7721 deaths to May 13, 2009 based on verified information gathered from UN\/INGO employees, doctors and pastors within the 
 battleground. In his book titled \u2018The Cage\u2019 he claimed 40,000 deaths with an eye to profit from sales to the over one million Tamil expats living in the west.\u00a0 
 
 The Tamilnet a propaganda arm of the LTTE reported a total of 7398 deaths. The GOSL carried out a census in 2012 using teachers and public 
 servants from the Tamil community as enumerators to arrive at a figure of 7432 deaths.\u00a0 Lord Naseby revealed in the UK House of Lords that 
 according to the British Military Attache, Col. Anton Gash, the total killed was about 7000. Amnesty estimated 10,000 deaths while the US 
 embassy fixed the death toll at 5,000. The Pro-LTTE groups, Yasmin Sooka of ITPJ, and Frances Harrison reported deaths in excess of 100,000 
 without a shred of evidence.\u00a0\u00a0 Amnesty and HRW commissioned a report from AAAS to study the satellite imagery of the final battleground 
 where they determined a total of 1346 burial spots in three sites within the Civilian Safety Zone which did not support the alleged high 
 casualty figures.
 
 295,873 persons including 12,000 former LTTE fighters plus a further 594 child soldiers were rescued, provided medical attention and place in
 welfare\/rehabilitation camps before being released following the demining of their villages.
 
 To deal with the complex questions of international law relating to internal armed conflicts, the Justice Maxwell Paranagama Commission was assisted by a panel of globally recognized legal 
 luminaries headed by Sir Desmond de Silva,QC. (UK), Professor Sir Geoffrey Nice, QC. (UK) and Professor David M. Crane (USA), who had earlier been appointed by the UN to prosecute cases 
 filed against those tried for HR and IHL violations before the ICC.\u00a0 This panel was assisted by Mr. Rodney Dixon, QC.(UK), Prof. Michael Newton (USA), Prof. Nina Jorgensen (Harvard,USA), 
 Commander William Fenrick (Canada), and Maj. Gen. Sir John Holmes former Commander of the SAS (UK) who looked at the military aspects\u00a0 to determine if the loss of civilian life could be 
 deemed as collateral damage if it occurs in the performance of a military necessity and proportionality in terms of IHL. In fact, I do not believe that the strategic difficulties of resolving the last 
 phase of the war have been fully appreciated by military strategists until relatively recently\u201d he says.\u00a0 Holmes concludes, on the evidence, that the SLA\u2019s operations, in broad terms, were 
 proportionate in the circumstances\u201d.\u00a0 
 
 Following the conclusion of the military action, Sri Lanka undertook a massive rehabilitation and reconcilation program, some aspects of which are noted below for your information:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(1) Over 300,000 resettled in 3 years<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
<https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/refugee-statistics\/download\/?url=Fh2XB3><\/a><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
(2) 92% of the land cleared of mines<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
<https:\/\/reliefweb.int\/report\/sri-lanka\/sri-lanka-declares-first-district-safe-landmines-thanks-work-mag-deminers><\/a><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
(3)  12,500 former terrorist fighters rehabilitated<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
<https:\/\/reliefweb.int\/report\/sri-lanka\/rehabilitation-ex-ltte-cadres-nearing-completion><\/a><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
(4)  Not a single bombing took place in the island after 2009<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
(5) 594 Child soldiers rehabilitated<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
<https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=KuW9c0ufiHY><\/a><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
(6)  Economic boom in the region, with GDP growth of 27% in 2011 and 22% in 2012 <\/pre>\n\n\n\n
(7)  Over 360 km of roads rebuilt, rail links restored laying 150 km of track, plus over 1,000 schools rebuilt.<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
<https:\/\/www.adb.org\/sites\/default\/files\/publication\/30303\/restore-war-torn-sri-lankan-infrastructure.pdf><\/a><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
(8)  Democracy returned to North after decades , with Provincial and local council elections being held<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
<https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/idINIndia-41626420090808><\/a><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Sri Lanka holds first post-war polls in north<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
N. Parameswaran<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Sri Lanka on Saturday held the first elections in 11 years in two towns at<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
the edge of the area formerly ruled b...<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
<https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/idINIndia-41626420090808><\/a> <\/pre>\n\n\n\n
If further information is needed, please contact me or the Sri Lanka United National Association of Canada (SLUNA).<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Yours sincerely,<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Mahinda Gunasekera<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Tel. (416) 498-0783<\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mahinda Gunasekera Tambrook Drive Agincourt, ON M1W 3L9 Dear Madam Jean Yip, MP Gary Anandasangaree’s baseless campaign to push for a Mono-Ethnic Separate State in the North and East of Sri Lanka I am a resident of Scarborough-Agincourt for the past 38 years having migrated to Canada in 1975.\u00a0 I understand that MP Gary Anandasangaree […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-111667","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111667"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111667\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=111667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=111667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}