Canada is back in the news. This time fortunately it is not due to the Khalistan issue. The issue this time around is about the Tamil nationals of Eelam.
The Mayor of Brampton Patrick Brown said that in the city of Brampton, they proudly acknowledge the Tamil Eelam Flag Day. This flag that united Tamil nationals of Eelam worldwide, symbolises their sovereignty and right to self-determination. It serves as a poignant reminder of the immense sacrifices made by the Eelam Tamil community in their struggle for liberation and emancipation. It is also a time to remember the lines lost to the 60 years of the Tamil genocide. We will continue to stand with the Tamil community in their pursuit of justice and freedom. Brown also said that there is no freedom or equality without justice.
How it began
Last August there was a foundation stone laying ceremony held in Brampton for a Tamil genocide monument in the city. It was said that this memorial would represent a significant victory for the Sri Lankan Tamils, both in Canada as well as globally.
However, the memorial drew protests and around a dozen people showed up at the ceremony to protest the construction of the memorial. The Sri Lankan Consul General in Toronto also wrote to Brown opposing the memorial. Sri Lanka too had raised concerns about the memorial and said it would have a damaging impact on bilateral ties with Canada.
Browne however maintained that he was proud to mark the beginning of the construction of the Tamil Genocide Monument. He added that the Sri Lankan government continues to evade accountability at the International Criminal Court.
In 2022, Canada’s Parliament voted to recognise May 18 as Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day. In 2021 Ontario passed a legislation recognise Tamil Genocide Education Week every May. All this took place at a time when a number of people battled to scrap the bill.
This had even prompted Sri Lanka to remark that some terrorists have found a save haven in Canada. Sri Lanka’s point of view is that it has endured terror at the hands of the Tamil separatists and its tolerance towards terror has been zero.
Sri Lanka has long endured the war which began in 19783 with rising ethnic tensions between the majority Sinhala speaking community and the minority Sri Lankan Tamils. The war went on until 2009 and ended with the killing of LTTE chief, Velupiilai Prabhakaran. The LTTE was demanding a separate state for Tamils in northeastern Sri Lanka.
The war led to many Sri Lankans, mainly Tamils escaping to countries like Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. “Canada is home to approximately 200,000 individuals of Sri Lankan descent, living primarily in the Greater Toronto area, the majority being of Tamil origin. Canada’s Sri Lankan Tamil population is thought to constitute the largest such diaspora in the world outside of India,” according to data available on the Canadian government’s website.
There have been reports of pro-LTTE operatives demanding funds of thousands of Dollars from moderate Tamils living in Canada. Any refusal to do so would result in them being threatened.
Trudeau’s version of freedom of expression
Justin Trudeau and his government have been notorious when it comes to the problems faced by other nations. He has been accused of backing the Khalistan elements who are on the most wanted list prepared by Bharat.
However Trudeau has a different logic to all of this. He says that he cannot act against these persons as it would amount to curtailing freedom of speech. He has very often tried and projected himself as the champion of human rights and freedom of speech.
Last year, Sri Lanka rejected a statement by Trudeau on Canada marking the first Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day on may 18. Colombo said that it contained outrageous claims of genocide relating to the past conflict.
“Canada’s continued reference to a false, distorted narrative of the past conflict in Sri Lanka is aimed solely at achieving local vote-bank electoral gains, and is not conducive to broader goals of communal harmony,” Sri Lanka said.
Bharat too has raised similar objections. Trudeau’s handling of the Khalistan issue in particular has been a bone of contention. The problem is that Trudeau does not mind putting petty politics above national interest or bilateral relations with important nations.
The lurking danger
These events in Canada are taking place at a time when Bharat has clearly signalled that the LTTE is trying to revive itself.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is probing both the LTTE as well as Khalistan revival cases. In 2022, the NIA carried out searches at the residence of one C Gunashekaran at the Chengalpattu district in Tamil Nadu. The suspect is said to be controlling a Sri Lankan drug mafia, the NIA said. He in association with Haji Salim, the ISI’s replacement of Dawood Ibrahim are said to be running this racket.
It was found that the drug mafia was raising funds at the behest of the ISI to aide the revival of the LTTE.
The Intelligence Bureau too has warned about the possibility and an official tells Organiser that attempts are being made to revive the outfit. The NIA also found that some former operatives of the LTTE based in Europe were trying to withdraw money and use it for the revival process. It was learnt that former operatives who are based in Denmark, Canada and Switzerland were making such attempts.
These operatives have been actively funding webinars to discuss the importance of reviving the LTTE. They have been targeting people in the rural areas of Tamil Nadu. They have even set up NGOs to arrange such meetings to try and convince the people about how they should be supporting this plan.
The NIA probe found that there are crores of Rupees lying in various bank accounts that belong to the LTTE. It has been untouched for long, but now attempts are being made to withdraw the same.
The case first came to light when a Sri Lankan national Letchumanan Mary Franciska (50) was arrested at the Chennai airport. She was arrested for holding a fake Indian passport. The case was then handed over to the NIA, which learnt that she had entered Chennai in 2019 on a valid tourist visa. Citing the outbreak of COVID-19 she stayed back. She the obtained an LPG connection following which she got herself a voter id. She stayed at the Shakti colony in Anna Nagar and while she was planning to fly to Bengaluru, she was arrested.
When the investigation began the NIA found that she was in close contact with Kenniston Fernando, K Baskaran, Johnson Samuel and L Sellamuthu. These persons were playing an active role in reviving the LTTE. More details about this plan were revealed by one K Sabesan, a former Intelligence officer of the LTTE.
These developments are real and by protecting such elements and giving them legitimacy, Canada is compromising on national security and diplomatic relations. What Canada has done on the Khalistan issue is similar to what it is doing with the LTTE.
