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முடிந்தால் ஒரு மடலை நீங்களும் எழுதுங்கள்

Featured Replies

Subject: re: Close the camps in Sri Lanka

To: Letters to the Editor <lettertoed@thestar.ca>

Dear Editor,

Sri Lanka, a multi-ethic democracy, what is supposed to be better for all. Democratic societies have faults and commit abuses. But we see that they have the ability to correct them except a handful of few nations. Today's editorial, October 20, 2009, correctly illustrates the dire situation dashing hopes we all placed only a month ago ( The editorial, “Sri Lanka eyes peace” on September 20th, 2009 ).

It is very difficult to comprehend Sri Lanka, a democracy, continues to hold Tamils in detention camps including some 60000 children. This is shameful to all civilized nations democratic nations. Whether it is Canada as a soft power or our powerful allies such as USA, we must not let this happen any longer.

This year's Nobel Peace prize, given as down payment to the leader of free nation, must bring peace to all war torn nations, including Tamils of Sri Lanka.

Sincerely,

=================================

Dear Ms.Petti, ( pfong@thestar.ca re http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/713396--boat-migrants-plight-rekindles-memories )

Thanks for your great stories on the plight of those 76 youth who literally fled death from their own government. The fact that former citizens of Sri Lankan refugees have such high rate of acceptance reveal an important fact, "Sri Lanka is not safe for Tamils".

I too like Mr.Ratnavel fled Sri Lanka as a refugee. Now, with two children and my wife successfully completing her medical residency at UofT, there are thousands such of stories where Tamils continue to enrich this multicultural society in all walks of life.

One other fact we safely conclude that Tamils are fleeing risking lives because of Sri Lankan state terror on ethnic Tamils still continues. Therefore I urge to enlighten your readers with some current and historic facts of the plight of Tamils in Sri Lanka. I leave you with these topics to consider including in your future stories:

1. Denying access to IDPs, including MPs from Canada

2. Arrests are made when deported and simply gone "missing"

Thanks,

====================================

Dear Sir,

Tamils are fleeing from a genocide taken place in Sri Lanka. The systematic genocide of Tamil's are being carried out by Sri lanka state it self. While fooling the rest of the world that it is carrying out a war on terror, Sri Lanka is detaining 300 000 Tamils in side Nazi style internment camps.

Many world reputable organizations such as the United States-Based the Human Rights Watch (HRW), London- Based Amnesty International (AI), Hong Kong-Based Asian Human Rights Organization (AHRC), Journalists Without Boarders (RSF) and many other rights groups documented that the Sri Lankan state committed serious rights abuses with impunity such as enforced mass abductions, mass disappearances, unlawful execution style summery killings, mass murders, tortures, rapes, destruction of personal, public and cultural properties, forceful displacements of Tamil minorities in Sri Lankan and got away with it.

Please be warned extremely disturbing scenes in this video footage from UK Channel 4 TV:

http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/world/asia_pacific/is+this+evidence+of+sri+lankan+aposwar+crimesapos/3321087

http://www.tamilnational.com/news-flash/1607-flooding-of-vavuniya-idp-camps.html

http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=30029

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/15/sri-lanka-war-on-tamil-tigers

Please, address these innocent’s plea:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2009/10/15/2714620.htm

Please do not send them back to Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is one of the country listed by US based Genocide Prevention Network in a "Red Alert".

In the name of god, please do not send them back to Sri Lanka.

Thank you,

Sincerely,

==========================================================

Dear Scholars,

As I write this today, much of the details about these 76 men remain unknown, who, most likely Tamils, showed at the shores of Vancouver, BC, Canada. Many more have been trying to get into Australia and many other "safe heavens".

But there are two things that are clear. One is that these individuals continue to risk their lives to travel thousands of miles on a rusty old boat to seek refuge. The second is that these men come from a country where persecution of the Tamil minority remains commonplace despite the end of the 26-year-old civil war.

To give you an idea of the kind of persecution Tamils face in Sri Lanka, keep in mind that more than a quarter of a million citizens are currently being held against their will in about 40 internment camps in the country. They are all Tamil and they are being held in violation of international law. Tens of thousands of these civilian detainees are children. Their reality is overcrowding, poor sanitation and severe restrictions on their freedom of movement. Despite calls from Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International to free them, and the threat of monsoon rains and flooding, the Sri Lankan government continues to hold these Tamil civilians in essentially open-air prisons. This is the Sri Lanka that these men were forced to flee from, one which continues to persecute Tamils.

Additionally, this same country is facing calls for war abuses to be investigated by Ms. Navi Pillay, the United Nations Human Rights Chief. This same country’s conduct during the war was examined by the Times of London, which reported that 20,000 Tamils were killed in the final stages of the war, three times the official account. Most, the paper reported, were killed due to government shelling.

Furthermore, a climate of oppression remains widespread in the country, making targets out of the Tamil minority, journalists and anyone who dares to question or contradict the government version of events. This suppression led to Human Rights Watch releasing a statement that the Sri Lankan government appears to be preparing to take action against individuals and organizations that criticized it during the war.

This crackdown on free speech and independent media led to Reporters Without Borders to rank Sri Lanka 162nd out of 175 countries in the world for press freedom in 2009. In this year alone, a UNICEF worker was expelled from the country, the Red Cross was forced to scale down its operations and a journalist was imprisoned for 20 years. Meanwhile, disappearances remain commonplace. This is the Sri Lanka these men fled.

Today, Tamils around the world are asking is that we raise our voice to free hapless Tamils from detention!

Thanks You!

======================================================

Dear Hon. Minister Jason Kenney,

Re: I welcome and thank you for allowing the fair process to take place in examining those 76 boat people’s admissibility to this country.

I welcome and thank you for your comment to the CBC yesterday where you said, " We'll screen people for their admissibility to Canada".

As freedom loving democratic nation, we always recognized that open, democratic societies have faults and commit abuses. But we saw that they have the ability to correct them — through vigorous public debate, an adversarial press and many other mechanisms that encourage reform. Yet, Sri Lanka has been a disappointment. It continues to display its arrogant, authoritarian and callous behaviors towards some 300,000 Tamil civilians which include more than 60,000 children, despite calls from Canada among many others.

When people are oppressed and freedom is denied, they seek refuge. Our Honorable Governor General Michaëlle Jean was a refugee from Haiti, coming to Canada in 1968.

Once again thank you for allowing the fair process to take place in examining those 76 boat people’s admissibility to this country.

Yours truly,

=================================================================

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