Terrorist Outfit Chalenges Canadian Government

(Lenin Benedict from Toronto for Asian Tribune)

In a show of strength, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which is also known as Tamil Tigers in Canada organized a huge rally in Toronto on March 16th to show its might to the Canadian Government and challenged its ban on the organization.

Thousands of LTTE cadres and its supporters gathered in down town Toronto to form a human chain carrying flags and placards of the banned organizations and pictures of the World’s ruthless terrorist leader, wearing T-shirts and caps with the LTTE logo and challenged the Government of Canada and its law enforcement agencies openly paving way for confrontations. The mighty show of LTTE very well proved that the organization still operates actively in Canadian soil and is capable of organizing events to raise funds irrespective of the ban imposed by the Canadian Government.

LTTE controlled media started a wide coverage of the event and have been requesting their supporters and sympathizers to take time off from their work and participate with their families since last week. The LTTE run radios declared that whoever doesn’t participate in this event would be considered as an enemy of the Tamils.

It is learnt that LTTE has earned millions of dollars from this event by selling LTTE flags, T-shirts and caps but also swallowed thousand of dollars in PST and GST tax revenues for the sale of this products which is supposed to go to the Canadian government coffers.

What sounds alarming is that the LTTE supporters openly raised slogans to remove the ban on LTTE and to allow raising funds for the organization. By this protest LTTE has sent a very clear signal to the Government of Canada that it is not bothered about any ban on them and instructed its cadres to defy the ban and particularly to its supporters and sympathizers to disrespect the Canadian law.

Carrying flag of a banned organization by LTTE cadres and supporters indicates, growing militancy and aggressive separatist politics in Canadian soil. What is more worrying is the participation of students and youths in huge numbers in the forefront of the protest. This might be a cause of trouble to the peaceful life in Canadian cities that have extended its wings to other Canadian cities like Montreal, Vancouver and Edmonton.

In previous protests college and university students were forced to participate and this time the protest itself was organized by the student’s arm of the LTTE, which is a great concern to Canadian authorities due to students and youth violence is on the increase in schools. There is also alarming home grown terrorism in Canadian soil. It should be also noted that, the Tamil students and youth participation in the LTTE organized events in Canada and other parts of the world are on the increase only after its leader Pirabaharan read in his last Hero’s Day speech, which is a event that glorifies suicide bombers, to the Tamil youths living in all parts of the world to take active participation in the liberation struggle outside Sri Lanka. Therefore there is a great responsibility on the shoulders of Canadian Government and Law Enforcement Agencies to keep an eye on LTTE influenced students and youth organizations and curb their unlawful activities.

It is very important to record that there was a similar growth of terrorism at the initial stages in Sri Lanka as it is emerging in Canadian soil at present. It all started as demonstrations and protests by the student and youth wings belonging to various groups in the earlier stage of unrest and later it turned in to violent separatist movements, which took a heavy toll on the people’s life and property. These protests paralyzed the normal life of civilians and shut down business. This made to ruin the North and East economy where people lost their livelihood. The same story is being repeated in Canada too, forcing all Tamil business establishments to shut down leading to loss of taxes in the recession period making it worse. Not just this March 16, but Tamil shops were forced to close on all Hero’s Day Celebration and all LTTE events.

If Canada truly believes in Democracy and Peace not only on Canadian soil but also in the rest of the world, all it has to do is to act immediately to put an end to Terrorist operating in Canadian soil and most of all stop raising funds which transformed into arms and ammunitions which is taking the lives of thousands of people in Sri Lanka. Canada cannot have two approaches towards Terrorism one in Afghanistan and a different approach in Sri Lanka.

To honor our fallen Hero’s who fought bravely in Afghanistan against terrorist it is the moral duty of the Canadian Government to have the same attitude towards Sri Lanka. The best way to eradicate Terrorism is to defeat Terrorism. Terrorism brings destructions to human life and to a country and destroys a civilized society.

If Canada wants to remain as a peaceful country, it is the duty of the Government of Canada to take appropriate steps to curb Terrorist activities in Canadian soil for a peaceful Canada and a peaceful Sri Lanka and not to be influenced by the petty votes of the minorities. If not very soon Canada has to mourn for its citizens on Canadian soil.

- Asian Tribune -