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Monday, June 16, 2008
No more Tamil Tiger parties for the Liberals
In a debate with Marni Soupcoff in our regular Face Off column in the Western Standard, Michael Coren wrote:
In Canada we encourage, rather than control, groups such as the Tamil Tigers, and ignore the activities of numerous terrorist gangs. One can only hope that our new government will, as it were, jump on the kangaroo and stand up to our enemies.
Well, today the Conservative government “jumped on the kangaroo.” Stockwell Day, Minister of Public Safety, announced that the Government of Canada has listed the World Tamil Movement (WTM) as a terrorist group.
Coren must be pleased, but what about the Liberals? Paul Martin and friends won’t be able to attend those fancy gala events hosted by the Tamil Tigers anymore, at least not without breaking the law.
Posted by Matthew Johnston on June 16, 2008 | Permalink
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I lost my father in low. Reson Srilankan air force bommbed. I lost my brother. Reson Srilankan military shooting. He was a mentally effected person. My home area was captured by the Srilankan military on 1990. From that day 30000 THOUSAND FAMILIES (APPROX.}HOMELESS.SO PRESENT SRILANKAN GOVERNMENT & L.T.T.E BOTH ARE TERREST. NO DOUT.
Posted by: T.Vannithamby | 2008-06-16 9:37:08 PM
Place an Arms Embargo on Sri Lanka
June 16, 2008 at 10:15 pm · ~ Commentary
by Thanjai Nalankilli
This is time for western democracies to act. Those who gave an international safety net to the Sri Lankan government should now throw at least a lifeline to the Tamil minority. We do not expect the United States of America (USA) or the European Union (EU) to send troops to protect the Tamil minority as they did in Kosovo. All we ask is, “please put an arms embargo on Sri Lanka” on an emergency basis. This should be done now without delay, before the Sri Lankan military acquires large supplies of arms and ammunition. Maybe, maybe, then the Sri Lankan government would see that it could not score a decisive military victory over the LTTE and agree to a honourable political solution.
1. Sri Lanka’s Duplicity and Western Democracies
It is April 2008. By now the world knows that the Sri Lankan government has no intention of devolving reasonable powers to the Tamil minority (something the Tamils knew for decades). Until just a couple of years ago Sri Lankan government ministers and diplomats were going around the world telling them that they want to “soften” the LTTE militarily to force LTTE to agree to a reasonable solution to the ethnic conflict. Now we know that it was a lie and what the Sri Lankan government wanted was to destroy LTTE and impose a pax Sinhala rule over the Tamil minority.
Once the western democracies realized the Sri Lankan duplicity they stopped much of the financial aid. United States of America (USA) that gave some military assistance in the past also stopped much of it, hoping that the Sri Lankan government would stop its quest for a military solution and go to the peace table.
2. Who are the Financiers and Arms Suppliers?
Western democracies were not the only source of financial aid and weapons to Sri Lanka. In June 2007, faced with criticism from western democracies and cut in financial aid from them, Sri Lanka’s defence secretary (and the president’s brother) Gotabaya Rajapaksa said, “We won’t be isolated. We have all the SAARC (South Asia Association of Regional Co-operation) countries, the Asian countries. Britain, or Western countries, the EU (European Union) countries, they can do whatever. We don’t depend on them. They are not giving anything.”
Which Asian countries was Gotabaya Rajapaksa talking about? China is investing hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastrucure and industrial projects. Indian government is quietly pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into Sri Lanka with no strings attached. India is also secretly, and sometimes openly, gifting weapons and training to Sri Lankan military. China and some Eastern European countries are selling weapons to Sri Lanka. Pakistan has emerged as a major arms seller to Sri Lanka.
Only thing that stands in the way of total subjugation of the Tamil minority as second class citizens for another half a century or more is the military strength of LTTE (the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam).
All news reports seem to indicate that LTTE is considerably weakened militarily. Yet they seem to put up stiff resistance against the Sri Lankan military making inroads into their territories in the north. A news item in an Indian newspaper on April 2, 2008 reported that Sri Lanka had ordered from Pakistan 150,000 rounds of 60 mm mortar ammunition for immediate delivery, in addition to $25 million worth of 81 mm, 120 mm and 130 mm mortar ammunition to be delivered within a month.
3. It is Time for Western Democracies to Act
It is time for western democracies to act urgently before the Sri Lankan military destroys the only leverage the Tamil minority has, the armed strength of LTTE. Western democracies must act now, before there is no leverage at all and an unjust, unfair solution is imposed.
This is time for western democracies to act. Those who gave an international safety net to the Sri Lankan government should now throw at least a lifeline to the Tamil minority. We do not expect the United States of America (USA) or the European Union (EU) to send troops to protect the Tamil minority as they did in Kosovo. All we ask is, “please put an arms embargo on Sri Lanka” on an emergency basis. This should be done now without delay, before the Sri Lankan military acquires large supplies of arms and ammunition. May be, may be, then the Sri Lankan government would see that it could not score a decisive military victory over the LTTE and agree to a honourable political solution.
When we say arms embargo, we do not mean that western democracies should not sell or give arms and ammunition to Sri Lanka, we mean a total international arms embargo, prohibiting any country from selling or giving arms and ammunition to Sri Lanka. We know that it may take considerable effort to persuade the United Nations (UN) Security Council to go along with an embargo. But efforts should be made to that end. In the meantime America and European Union should persuade countries like Pakistan and Ukraine to stop the sale of weapons to Sri Lanka.
Short of sending troops to protect the Tamil minority (which is not going to happen) or provide arms to LTTE (unlikely), only option the international community has is to place an arms embargo and thus put an end to the war and move to the peace table.
[LAST MINUTE ADDITION: After the article was completed and was ready for publication, author read on BBC web site that Slovakia (an EU member) is selling 10,000 military missiles to Sri Lanka. This new development makes the need for an arms embargo through a United Nations Security Council resolution or persuasion even more urgent.] [Tamil Tribune, May 2008/via ITS
Posted by: peace now! | 2008-06-16 9:37:50 PM
Sri Lanka is an irrelevant country of no importance to Canada. Solve your own damn problems and keep Canada out of it.
Epsi
Posted by: epsilon | 2008-06-16 9:59:40 PM
Liberals bought these terrorists with taxpayer's cash and in return got their votes and big donations to the party's coffers, this is a serious blow to the Liberal Party and terrorists.
Posted by: philanthropist | 2008-06-16 11:31:29 PM
Sri Lanka is an irrelevant country of no importance to Canada. Solve your own damn problems and keep Canada out of it.
Epsi
...And thats why Canada is giving dollars and military aid to this Nazi-like racist Sri Lankan govt to kill its own minorities? Hypocrite.
LONDON, June 17 (Reuters) - An aid agency that lost 17 local tsunami aid workers in a massacre in Sri Lanka two years ago said on Tuesday it had no confidence in the government investigation and had quit the island in protest.
Action Contre la Faim (ACF) -- also known as Action against Hunger -- said it wanted an international inquiry into the murders, which took place in the northeastern town of Muttur after days of fighting in August 2006 between security forces and rebels of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Posted by: anthropologist | 2008-06-17 4:50:00 AM
Anthropologist:
Like I give a damn about your irrelevant little country. Go back to the jungle and your blow darts and solve your own problems.
Epsi
Posted by: epsilon | 2008-06-17 9:35:14 AM
'Just as well Canadian politicians (Librano$ being the worst) won't be cavorting with the Tamil Tigers. Canadian politicians look ridiculous in those orange head coverings.
Posted by: batb | 2008-06-17 11:51:02 AM
Maybe if the locals could stop breeding like bunnies, they could solve their problems.
Posted by: Malthus_was_Right | 2008-06-17 4:01:46 PM
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