EDITORIAL
Mar 21, 2009 04:30 AM
Comments on this story (50)
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa may win his war against the Tamil Tigers, but at what cost? By resorting to war crimes that would stain his nation's image, and make postwar reconciliation between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil minority even harder to achieve?
That's what United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay fears. She recently warned that tactics by both the Sri Lankan military and the Tigers "could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity." It is a fear Prime Minister Stephen Harper and other Commonwealth leaders should echo, while there is still time to avert a wholesale slaughter in Sri Lanka's death zone.
As many as 150,000 civilians, mostly Tamils, are feared caught in a shrinking 30 square kilometre patch still held by the insurgents in the northeast part of the Indian Ocean island. That is all that is left of the Tigers' former mini-state. Relief agencies report that the civilians are being shelled by government troops, and used as shields and child soldiers by the insurgents. The UN says 2,300 civilians have died so far this year.
The great concern now is that Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and his militants plan to go down fighting, taking the civilians with them in a final, defiant bloodbath. That prospect should concentrate minds in Colombo, where officials are counting on massive foreign aid to rebuild from a 25-year insurgency that has cost 75,000 lives.
Fearing a human tragedy, tens of thousands of Tamil Canadians marched through Toronto this week, calling attention to the plight of family and friends caught in the war zone. As Sri Lanka courts disaster, the Harper government should step up its tepid appeals to Rajapaksa and the Tigers for a ceasefire, unhindered UN access to the war zone, safe corridors to evacuate civilians and the delivery of relief supplies.
Canada has credibility with Colombo, having listed the Tigers as a terrorist organization. We should use that leverage to try to save lives. If the Tigers do agree to put down their weapons, Canada should offer to help the UN and the Red Cross ensure all are treated humanely. Moreover, we should press for generous, provincial-style autonomy for Tamils in the region where they are a majority. Sri Lanka can have peace only when the Tamils feel they have a stake.
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Canada has the rights to put the pressure on Colombo
Thank you Toronto star, I believe Canada has the rights and potential to put the pressure on Colombo to go for immediate ceasefire with LTTE in order to save the 200000 thousand Tamils lives, because Canada has been giving lot of tax payer’s money for the developments purposes to Sri Lanka with out any string attached, without a permanent peace in Sri Lankan there are no developments possible in SL, GOSL has been spending this money for the war purposes only, There for Canada has to stop giving any further aid to Sri Lanka until they go for the peace talk with LTTE
Submitted by Verl at 3:54 PM Saturday, March 21 2009
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The LTTE must reform or will soon perish
Canada has every right to intervene and stop this gruesome massacre that is perpetrated in the name of fighting terrorism by the Sinhala regime.But one should not forget that LTTE is equally barbaric in it's pursuit of an independent state. LTTE is banned in 37 countries not because they asked, agitated and waged war for partitioning the island, but because they killed innocent civilians, parliamentarians, forcefully recruited children and above all for wiping out their own fellow Tamil political opponents.LTTE should realize that there is no such thing as sole representative of a people or Nation. Claiming and killing for that is what is called fascism.It is totally against the cherished values of Canadian civil society.And no one will accept you as long as you adhere to this stupid demand of sole representation.If the Tamils want justice from the international community then they should also practice justice to their own people.The LTTE must reform or will soon perish
Submitted by Dharmaraj at 3:53 PM Saturday, March 21 2009
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How to please?
When some people's sense of entitlement is only dwarfed by their audacity and ability to invent the truth, it's hard to know how to please. Those Tamils who demand a seperate state are 9% of the population, but want 1/3 of Sri Lanka's landmass and 2/3rd of the sea-coast. Note that half of Ceylon Tamils have for long lived in the South of Sri Lanka, not in the 'traditional lands' & still do, giving lie to claims of Genocide. Tamil has for decades been an official language. Tamils enjoy free education (in Tamil too) & healthcare, like all Sri Lankans. There are Tamil Ministers in every cabinet. In the recent past, Judges, even a Chief Justice. I was at the mass rally last Monday where the Tamil Diaspora loudly proclaimed support for the LTTE and its leader. However, not one banner asked that the LTTE free the civilians they hold hostage. As the largest contributor to the LTTE, that is an obvious demand, unless they want to preserve the leader to fight another day.
Submitted by Concerned Toronto at 3:49 PM Saturday, March 21 2009
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Understand
you must understand the reasons of the behind this. of course the prime minister doesn't care, but why should he? Sri-lanka is another country with an excellent government that will bring peace. Why should Canada be concerned about tamils, there's no point. So quit trying to save tamil tigers and let them fight the war they agreed to fight. Protests, please your flag should be banned from this country.
Submitted by Raj Ramalingam at 3:31 PM Saturday, March 21 2009
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Peace talk should be brokered by Canada between the tamil tigers and SL government
Thanks alot to Star for presenting such a well-analysed article. It is clearly proven to the world by the large Tamil diaspora that LTTE is regarded as the only representatives of the Tamils in Srilanka. Tamils strongly believe and justify LTTE's actions towards the Sinhala dominated SL government as they (tigers) are the only ones who voice for their rights. Decades of oppression received by the Tamils from the SL government led to the LTTE's armed struggle to fight for the minorities rights for self-determination. THere's no doubt about that. The ban on LTTE by Canada especially is simply unreasonable. Canada should lift the ban on Tamil tigers and hence leading the way to a peace talk to address human rights issues in the country.
Submitted by Sudarnila at 3:29 PM Saturday, March 21 2009
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