2066 Kings Grove Crescent . Gloucester . Ontario . K1J 6G1

9 November 2011

John Carmichael, Conservative MP for Don Valley West, Ontario                                                                                                                                                       House of Common, Ottawa, Ontario

 Dear John Carmichael:

It is with utmost humility that I say “Thank You” and doff my hat to you for attending the Deepavali Celebration in Toronto, organized by the Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa and Sri Lanka Consular General’s Office in Toronto.

What was significant in your attendance was that you showed your honesty in wanting the reconciliation process between the two communities that have been polarized by their Tamil Tiger separatist conflict that lasted 27 bloody years and witnessing over 100,000 innocent lives snuffed out by suicide bombers, claymore mines and bullets shot from Kalashnikovs, all by the Tamil Tigers.

What is also significant is that you have endorsed the priority of the wishes of the Tamils back in Sri Lanka who did not take the opportunity of open flood gates of far away places like Canada, buy a plane ticket and get on a plane and land at Lester Pearson Airport and say, “We are refugees and we are running away from persecution and discrimination by the majority Sinhalese", but only to return to Sri Lanka for holidays and visit relatives once they get their Canadian passports.  That is the rub.  The Tamils who stayed back people 41% of the population of the capital Colombo where the riots did happen in July of 1983, and now living in harmony with the Sinhalese, Muslims and Burghers.  It is also significant that you were not intimidated by the raucous Tamils who demonstrated jumping up and down as if they were Hindu Kavadi dancers and howling dirty slogans like companies of human blood thirsty coyotes.

The bottom line is to say “Hell with you Tamils who we gave you a home in these greener pastures, but we value the dignity of the Tamils who stayed back and wish to live in harmony with their Sinhalese, Muslims and Burgher brothers and sisters.”

I hope your honourable gesture will be noted by parliamentarians like Rathika Sitsabaeisan, Patrick Brown, Paul Calandra, John McKay and Jason Kenney.

For once you made me feel proud to be a card carrying Conservative.

Sincerely

Asoka Weerasinghe (C11255047)