CLASSIFIED | POLITICS | TERRORISM | OPINION | VIEWS

Sri Lankan Government Representative Palitha Kohona Has Justifiably Requested Canada To Ban TRO.

In Retrospect By Sarath Kumara for LankaWeb

September 13, 2008
It has to be emphasized with great importance that the request to the Canadian Government by Mr. Palitha Kohona, Foreign Secretary- Sri Lanka, recently in Ottawa is a very justifiable one. In requesting the Canadian Government to ban the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization – Canada (TRO-Canada) in the same fashion as the LTTE and the WTM he has indicated an imperative need to suppress, stifle and disassemble a group of Tamil Tiger terrorist supportives who have been known for their mendacities and nation destructive activities for quite sometime now. If the request for this the ban to be imposed on TRO follows the same guidelines of the US Government as a precedent which has also imposed a ban on the TRO activities in the united States one need look no further towards a role model.

While objections to this ban has been laced in false statements and innuendo by Tamil Tiger supportives around the world who indulge in deliberately misleading statements such as "The banning of LTTE in 2006 and WTM in June this year has criminalized the entire 300,000 strong Tamil Canadian community. Tamils are facing discrimination at work places, labelled terrorists in schools and potential “terrorists” in the eyes of the RCMP/CSIS. Individual Tamils are spied upon and meetings and rallies clandestinely photographed /videographed. It has become difficult to hire a hall to stage even cultural shows. Sometimes, the Police refuse security because of perceived connection of the organizer of the event to the LTTE/WTM. It looks though the life of Tamils is no different from Russians under the KGB of the Soviet era!" while such profiling in specific suspected cases who have contributed towards the suspicions through their movements and activities , it may justifiably be part of the Canadian Government's campaign to eliminate the threat of terrorism inasmuch as it is against Al Quaeda. The Canadian Government must surely act on credible information rather than on speculative suspicion as insinuated by those who oppose Canada's policies against terrorism. This is a gross misrepresentation of facts where these statements have been presented to the world by terrorist supportive individuals in desperation that their support of the Tamil Tigers are being rendered redundant within the statutes and legalities which bind all citizens not only of Canada but of the entire free world!

For example it is a well known and irrefutable fact that there is no such discrimination of the Tamil community in Canadian cities by either the Canadian Law Enforcing agencies such as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the various Provincial Police Forces or the Canadian Spy Anti Agency CSIS and statements to the effect by persons of organizations in support of Tamil Tiger terrorism constitutes libel and near treasonous!

It is very true that in the name of fighting anti-terrorism, Canada has pulled out all stops to ensure that the scourge of terrorism does not infiltratrate harmonious Canadian society or get past its Immigration Borders and implements policies which are well within all the tenets of democratic society and ensures fair treatment of all citizens under the Canadian Charter. In lieu of all the fundamentals and more of democratic protections, Canada has adopted a very legitimate means of legislation that has always ensured human rights protection quite opposed to the insinuations by disgruntled terrorist supportives consisting mainly of Tamil Diaspora domiciled in Canada and around the world.

The Anti-Terrorism law which has been initiated by the present Conservative Stephen Harper Administration is a definite reversal of roles to that of the previous Liberal Government of Paul Martin who not only turned a blind eye to Pro Tamil Tiger Activities in Canada but was also purported to have mingled with them in their communal activities together with somer of his aides!
It has been a long established fact that Canada once tolerated such activities but not any more as the new Administration in a no nonsense, zero tolerance approach to any terror related activities by any group sympathetic towards the cause has shut the door on them very correctly, admirably and commendably!

There is a long history of concocted oppression of Tamils in Sri Lanka since independence, presented by disgruntled Tamils who while in a miniscule minority nevertheless has tried unsuccessfully over the years to overthrow the majority Sinhalese Sri lankan Regimes at times in collaboration to a greater degree with certain leaders of the Indian State of Tamil Nadu which on many occassions nudged the Indian Government towards the cause but has long since subsided as India realised the futility of it all particularly after the Rajive Gandhi assassination which projected the Tamil Tigers as a band of ruthless terrorists.

India has since begun collaborating with the Government of Sri lanka towards eliminating the Tamil Tigers which the Sri Lankan Government is presently pursuing as a prime objective towards the well being of not only Sri Lanka but also the entire region of South Asia. It is a gross exaggeration to suggest that Sri lankan Tamils were victims of Sri Lanka’s state terrorism although it is true that Tamils in their thousands fled Sri Lanka as a result of communal tensions set off by Tamil Tiger attrocities rather than a means to escape Government sponsored persecution and political oppression based on ethnicity and religion."To protect all her citizens irrespective of ethnicity, religion and status at all times" is a credo which all Sri lankan Administrations since independence have been committed to uphold and the present Administration is no different.

It is also a huge misrepresentation of facts to suggest - citing the lobby against the Sri Lankan Government by terrorist supportives that the current military engagements in Sri Lanka is between the majority Sinhalese,75% in toto and a 15% minority Tamils where only the proportions are accurate, is indeed a civil war like in Nepal and greater by dimension and by no means an ethnic war between the Sinhalese Nation and 'Tamil Nation' which is a blatant concoction as there is no such place as a Tamil Nation in Sri Lanka which is a multi ethnic mosaic of various cultures, religions and communities administered to by the Central Government in Colombo.It is a Nation where Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, Burghers and others live side by side in harmony as well as can be expected notwithstanding the dissenting Tamils who have chosen a path of terrorism over racial harmony and interaction.

The Sri Lankan Armed Forces are currently engaged in eliminatin the terrorist scourge of the tamil Tiger terrorists hiding out in the Jungle regions of an area known as the Wanni where the Government has to a great degree protected innocent civilians caught in the crossfire and are continuing to provide humanitarian assistance to those in need which of course excludes the terrorists!While there are undoubtely the unfortunate victims of such a situation the Governt has at all times endeavoured to be conscious of their presence and action has been taken to minimise civilian casualties and guide them out of the areas of conflict.

It has been incongruously quoted which needs correction that "At a recent interview given by Gen. Sarath Fonseka, the influential Army Commander, who voiced his conception of Sri Lanka that the Nation of Sri Lanka not the Sinhala Nation has to make certain sacrifices for the common good if you want to protect the country and survive….. In any democratic country the majority should rule the country. This country will be administered to by the Sinhalese community legitimately elected at Parliamentary elections which is the majority representing 74 percent of the Country's population" which is not an ultra- Fascist theory if applied to Canada as quoted which ironically has also been engaged in preserving the unitarity of Canada towards the attempted break-up of the country by a French speaking minority which indeed draws parallel connotations common to both Sri Lanka and Canada.

It is a bold and unqualified statement that Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona represents a country guilty of human rights abuses, enforced disappearances, torture, detention without trial, corruption, inefficiency and profligacy. These are mere rhetorical sensationalistic statements issued by a bi-partisan and misguided United Nations whose past two leaders while indicating sympathy towards the Tamil Tigers linked to the wrongful instigations of cacaphonous Tamil Diaspora are also individuals whose knowledge of the internal problems Sri Lanka faces at the hands of Tamil Tiger terrorists are simply non existent!

Once again it needs emphasis towards high acclaim that Canada by not submitting to the theatrics of an internationally discredited Terror Group the Sri Lankan Tamil Tigers and their collaborative supportives has stood firm in delivering a strong message to global terrorism. Canada certainly needs to pursue the TRO as an entity which needs close scrutiny towards banning alongside those already targetted legitimately as another organization which is a front for the Tigers and promulgate terrorist related activities, propaganda and raise funds towards their cause in Canada and wherever they are based! Needless to say, their credibilities are zilch in Sri Lanka for obvious reasons.

In this respect Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona in his recomendations to the Canadian Government can only be deemed fully justifiable!

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