Making of “Sri Lanka a Canadian matter”

By Hasaka Ratnamalala

(June 24, Toronto, Sri Lanka Guardian) With the end of Canadian position MP Bob Rae’s Sri Lanka drama we are eager to let the world know what make Bob Rae and other politicians so desperately wanted to go to Sri Lanka and why they are so unhappy when they loose that opportunity.

For few decades there were some international figures that made money from the sufferings of poor Sri Lankans. Norwegian Eric Sholhaim is one of them Canada’s Bob Rae is another one. Since Bob Rae hasn’t got much to do after his provincial politics in Ontario, Sri Lanka was one of his ways to keep his prestige in his last part of political life. Not only Bob Rae most politicians do this type of work at the end of their political carrier to keep their prestige.

Meanwhile previous Liberal government in Canada thought it is necessary to have the support of Tamils to win the 13 seats in Greater Toronto area and they decided to fund Bob Rae and his organizations to go to Sri Lanka. Around 40 Million Canadian taxpayer Dollars were donated to Bob Rae and his affiliated organizations to carry on his pet project; to teach federalism to Sri Lankans or otherwise known as how to implement communal boundaries and maintain them.

READ THE STORY

TIGERS REMAIN TERRORISTS

US says LTTE transitional government not recognized, Tigers listed again,State Department insists not blocking IMF loan

By Easwaran Rutnam

The United States says it does not recognize the provisional transnational government of Tamil Eelam announced by the LTTE head of international relations S. Pathmanathan and once again listed the Tigers as a terrorist outfit following its latest review.

Speaking during a live web chat last night from the US State Department, senior U.S. State Department official Gregg Sullivan said that although the US welcomed reports that the LTTE has renounced violence and will now pursue its objectives through peaceful means there is a long way to go before the Tigers can be considered a reliable entity.

READ THE STORY

Lessons from Sri Lanka

Defeating the enemy on the battlefield

By Peter Leitner and Rajika Jayatilake | Monday, June 22, 2009

Sri Lanka recently emerged victorious from one of the world's longest-running conflicts, once termed an "unwinnable" war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), also known as the Tamil Tigers.

The LTTE is considered one of the deadliest terrorist groups, having invented the concept of the modern-day suicide bomber and carried out the murder of two sitting heads of state. In addition, the Tamil Tigers pioneered use of female suicide bombers, homemade minisubmarines, ultralight aircraft and "warehouse ships" pre-positioned on the high seas to resupply terrorist operations on shore.

As the self-appointed global leader in the war on terrorism, the United States could learn some significant lessons from Sri Lanka's victory. Here are our top nine:

READ THE STORY

To be Diplomatic or not...

"Please be diplomatic about it"

"That was a very diplomatic way of putting it."

I am sure all of us have used or heard of the above phrases in some stage of our lives, either to reach out to someone who's unreasonable, demanding or flat out unfair. It actually rolls out of our tongues without a second's thought, but rarely given the proper respect it deserves. Here's are few explanations about the word "diplomatic" on cyber space.

Diplomatic-adjective
1. of, pertaining to, or engaged in diplomacy: diplomatic officials.
2. skilled in dealing with sensitive matters or people; tactful.
3. of or concerning the profession, activity, or skill of managing international relations : having or showing an ability to deal with people in a sensitive and effective way:

Sitting in the audience last Friday at the meeting called by the Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Ottawa, it was obvious to me and many others, that Mr. Daya Perera showed none of the above qualities. I say this with lot of sadness as I attended the meeting with an open mind, wanting to listen to what he had to say. Frankly he didn't say anything of any interest to us, or anything we couldn't have read in the news, or things we haven't already done.

The meeting itself had no agenda attached to it. Only a call by the HC to meet with the Sri Lankan community in Toronto. The message was delivered by Consul General, Mr. Bandula Jayasekera in Toronto, who was merely the messenger in this matter. Few days before the meeting, couple of our hard working patriots, who'd been in the forefront of fighting the LTTE propaganda machines in Canada, had requested the HC via e-mail the reason for this sudden meeting. After all the HC had been appointed and been in Canada for a while now, and the opportunity to introduce him self to the community had long since passed. In fact the Sri Lankan community in Canada had hardly seen or heard from the him during his tenure here, specially during the last few months when an official Sri Lankan presence in the media, was much needed. This meeting sounded more like a request to drop by and meet him on a casual visit. The only time we "drop by" to meet someone is if that person happens to be a friend or a relative ours. As far as I know the invitees were neither relatives nor friends of Mr. Perera, at least not all of them. Therefore it was a very valid question that a few of us were interested in getting a response from. But the only response we received was from a misguided lawyer who obviously had another "agenda" in his mind when he called the author of the e-mail requesting the agenda, a Sinhala extremist. By then it was obvious to many of us what this meeting was all about.

First let's take the timing of the meeting, which was more than a month after the fight against terrorism had ended in Sri Lanka, when all that was needed to be done, had been done and continued to be done by many of us living here. But it's also after the major gaff made by the HC about a week ago, when he publicly went after one of our own Sri Lankan patriots, threatening to sue her over a remark made on an article appearing in a newspaper in Sri Lanka. The issue was raised on this blog at the time and two polls ran for a week, which clearly showed the obvious displeasure of the Sri Lankans in Canada, of his conduct. While these poll results were not scientific, the percentages for supporting for his removal from Canada were rather alarming, which probably had reached even the foreign office in Sri Lanka. In short, this was a meeting organized for the purpose of damage control, an obvious attempt to gather some political points to show Colombo, that there was no rift between him and the Sri Lankan community here.

But the meeting itself was highly disorganized as the individual who was supposed to be the moderator for the night, only came to the podium after the HC was bombarded with questions by several members of the audience and was unable to continue his speech. Some in the audience demanded to know what this meeting was all about, asking for an agenda and even demanding that a resolution be passed against Mr. Perera, recommending that he be sent back to Sri Lanka. This is where Mr. Perera, if he was a true Diplomat could have shined. He could have used the opportunity to win the audience, by being calm and cool. But more importantly, "listening" to an obviously upset group in the audience. Instead, the words that came out of an agitated HC were more like threats. When one of the members suggested that the audience walk out of the meeting, HC's response was "That's okay, walk out" and when that person was convinced by another to stay, Mr. Perera mocked him "I thought you were going to leave". He obviously hadn't heard of dual citizenship either, when he told another that "he can't be a Canadian and a Sri Lankan, only one or the other". That's just only a couple of many undiplomatic responses of the evening.

Enter the moderator, who outlined a few ground rules and requested the audience not to make any personal attacks on each other. But that request seemed to have flown right over the head of the Deputy High Commissioner Mr. Wijeratne, who took the podium next and went on a personal attack against another vocal member of the audience. He even held up some papers that were supposed to be e-mail evidence against that individual, which only proved to us that he came well prepared for an argument instead of a brainstorming session. Obviously the upset audience became even more vocal and one member actually walked off the meeting. Then comes one of the best moments of the meeting, when Mr. Lenin Benedict who was in the audience requested to address the crowd. He addressed his "fellow countrymen" and humbly requested that we as Sri Lankans work together, and not fight among each other. He proved that he was a much better diplomat than Mr. Perera, as he was able to calm the audience down with some sensible choice of words and reasoning. He sat down to a roar of applause only to be thanked by the moderator, who "didn't know who the gentlemen was". For the past few months, while the whole of Sri Lankan community had watched, followed and participated in the fight against LTTE false propaganda on Canadian news media, apparently this individual had not! May be he was too busy with his Business Council work, or was simply not interested in the issues. Either way, why such a person was asked to moderate a meeting on how to rebuild Sri Lanka, was simply beyond me.

This was followed by a boring, uninspired speech by Mr. Perera, who claimed that these were direct requests from the President himself. He talked of re-building the country, investing in bonds, building roads and houses, all of which many in the audience were well aware and were already participating in. He wanted to use the "expertise" of the Sri Lankan diaspora in Canada. But when one patriot in the audience stood up and offered to help with low cost housing, and requested more details on how to proceed, HC seemed unprepared or unaware. His answer was to tell the gentlemen to visit the website and get the details, something Mr. Perera failed to realize that all of us could have done, sparing the agony of listening to him. In the process he could have saved the Sri Lankan tax payer some money, for the booking of a hall as well as his travel expenses to Toronto. However, there were some very good suggestions, requests and comments from the audience. Majority of the message relayed to the HC revolved around the ineffectiveness of the HC Office in Ottawa and the need to be more closer to the community, and their needs. Yet, answering some of these questions, Mr. Perera continued to put his foot in his mouth as he made reference to Buddhist monks in Ottawa temples and how he was "tired of eating hoppers" at their functions. Once again, members of the audience reminded him that such comments are uncalled for and shouldn't be aired out in public. It was another indication on how far removed the HC was from Sri Lankans living in Canada, a void that has been very effectively filled thanks to Mr. Bandula Jayasekera, a very dynamic and active Consul General in Toronto.

Wrapping up the meeting, Consul General thanked the Sri Lankan community for their efforts in countering the LTTE propaganda. He acknowledged some key members of the community, and organizations for their tireless efforts to safe guard Sri Lanka for the past few decades. He pointed out that as officers of Sri Lankan Government, HC and his stay in Canada are temporary, and it's us who live here and need to continue to work together. These were inspiring words the audience appreciated very much and HC could have used in his speech. The meeting was almost called to an end when two more questions from the audience were taken. One for possible assistance from HC in acquiring a community centre for the Sri Lankans and the other, a more important one to this writer as well. The reason for the threat Mr. Daya Perera made to the Canadian news media, to sue Mrs. Ira De Silva. Apparently it was a question many others wanted answered too, as few clapped while others let out a few sighs of relief and murmurs when Mr. Daya Perera apologized for publicly threatening her. Although he still believed Mrs. Silva's comments on the article were inaccurate, he admitted that he was angry at the time when he made the comment, and that he was not proceeding with such actions. While the chances of such actions without an approval from Sri Lanka were slim to none, to hear his apology seemed a small moral victory to some.

His apology and explanation may be welcomed by some of the audience, but many didn't seem ready to forgive him for his lack of action and presence during these trying times. "Too little, too late" seemed to be the thinking among the audience mingled with each other after the meeting, enjoying few snacks and tea. If the HC intentions were to win the approval of the Torontonians with this meeting, I believe he failed badly, losing whatever the support he had before. Even the lawyer who'd approved the call for this meeting in an e-mail while accusing another of being an extremist, just sat there with no words of support for the HC or the meeting. While some may not approve the actions of the vocal members of the audience who interrupted the HC's speech, to others it was also a reflection on Mr. Perera's inability to be proactive. It's also because all the members of the vocal audience were individuals who spent their time, energy and money defending their motherland, during these past year and beyond. They did so even at the risk of their own security, without the kind of protection the HC gets from the Canadian officials. They did all that without ever asking to be acknowledged or recognized. But they also weren't expecting any repercussion from someone who failed to do their own part in protecting the country either. It's one thing to be threatened by Terrorists and their supporters, but another when one of your own leaders acts with such arrogance. As much as their actions hurt, it's even more frustrating when the same parties try to pull a fast one by them, in the form of a "agenda less" meeting organized to score political points. Right or wrong, it's that wrath HC felt from some part of the audience this evening. It's clear that HC has failed the Sri Lankans living in Canada, and lost their approval in the process. It's time Sri Lanka realized this and made the change that's inevitable! - Sinhaya

More on the meeting click below:

Sri Lankan Canadian diaspora slam High Commissioner Daya Perera and Deputy Wijeratne, at meeting with community in Toronto.

Make your choice, fellow tamilians!

Below is an excerpt from a very interesting take on the Sri Lankan situation, written by a Tamil living in Sri Lanka to Sri Lanka Watch web site. Please click on the link below to read the complete article, which should open the eyes of the Tamil diaspora here in Canada and other parts of the world. - Sinhaya

By Megan Dhakshini Shatrughan, Wednesday, 17 June 2009

To the dear people who are publicly becoming “fans” of Mr.Velupillai Prabaharan, to those of you who are “fighting” for eelam because you don’t want to leave your western comforts, to those of you who say its not over till all of us are killed ( Im sorry, please speak for yourself), to those of you who still beleive the LTTE fought for your rights and nothing else, to those of you who say it is only because of HIM that we can walk the streets today because he has given us a voice ( sorry- he has only made the others so scared to approach a tamil just in case he/she blew themselves up, so he has not given us a voice, he’s just made the world frightened of tamils), to all those who after all this are still making me feel GUILTY to be a tamil, this is a plea to you to please STOP. STOP, and START trying to make a difference for a change.

Turn your patriotic songs of praise for the LTTE into some positive songs about rebuilding our fallen nation.

NO, Im not asking you to help the other terrorists, our dear government who are guilty of many many crimes, but Im asking you to help yourselves. If you live abroad, use your dollars and pounds to fund development for your people here, rather than contribute it towards arms to kill someone. If you live here, then try spreading some positivity rather than telling the whole world that the tamils can’t live in peace and still want a frikkin separate state.

THIS is our country. THIS is a country that many years ago was ahead of even singapore. WHEN will we get there? When we can do things together. please knock that into your deranged brainwashed heads. PLEASE, let this , OUR country get some real happiness. Its about time.

READ THE STORY

The Bob Rae saga

Secretary General Prof Rajiva Wijesinha has written to The Toronto Star in response to its coverage of the decision to prevent Canadian politician Bob Rae from entering Sri Lanka last week. Below are some excerpts from his letter and the full version can be viewed via the link below. - Sinhaya

In February this year, following an article he wrote that was full of falsehoods, I wrote a response entitled 'The devious self-righteousness of Bobby Rae', which spelled out exactly how fraudulent were his arguments. To quote a single paragraph from it – ‘Rae does record that the ‘Tigers were ruthless at killing their opponents in their own community’ and that they ‘use suicide bombers against civilians and recruit children into their army’ but he promptly goes on to claim some sort of justification for them in terms of their ‘support around the world’. He privileges this by talking about ‘the sense of the Tamil people that they have never been able to find justice inside a failed state’, as though to uphold himself the idea that Sri Lanka is a failed state.’ The article may now be read in full on the Online version of the London Free Press here.

Bob Rae does not seem to have changed in the interval. Ms de Silva's letter referred to his demanding a probe into 'an estimated 20,000 civilian deaths', which is nonsensical. For a member of parliament to make such claims on the basis of the extrapolations of a newspaper that has been obviously biased against Sri Lanka is at best irresponsible, and fully justifies Ms de Silva's plea that he not be allowed to enter Sri Lanka.

READ THE FULL STORY

The fate of a "Traitor"

Remember Dr. Brian Seneviratne, the Sinhala relative of Bandaranayakes who championed the LTTE's cause for a separate state? He was globe trotting during the past few months, including couple of visits to Toronto to spread his version of Tamil Eelam! Well, now that his employers are defeated and no more alive, he is apparently having a hard time doing the "LTTE tours around the globe". Below is an excerpt from a report on Asian Tribune by K. Navam in Australia, and you can click on the link below for the full story. - Sinhaya

Dr. Brian Seneviratne: A Humanright (LTTE) Activist

On 15 June 2009, I attended a meeting organised by Dr. Brian Seneviratne at the Baptist Church, Taringa, Queensland, Australia. It was about 7:30 PM and a handful of people have attended it. He was visibly worried about the number of people attended the event. He could have preferred for at least 50 people to listen his preaching. During the past few years, he often gives speeches, and considered to be the number one proponent of the LTTE in the name of Tamil safe haven within Sri Lanka. He was on funded tours all over the world supporting the LTTE and justifying their terrorism and atrocities. Poor Dr. Brian did not know that he was being used by the LTTE as a Singhala face for justifying their terrorism under the pretext of the Tamil freedom.

Now, he has nowhere to go. LTTE funds may not be available for his LTTE talk tour. He cannot sell his AUS $2.00 DVD on Eelam for US $29.99 anymore. Prabaharan is not living anymore to give him a “Mamanithar” award. Finally, he is disappointed about it and hopefully he can get some form of recognition from the mostly wanted international arm smuggler, known as KP. I am sure that Dr. Brian will be a most needed person by KP to build up LTTE financial empire.

READ THE STORY

Was the Canadian MP Deepak Obhrai denied Lankan visa?

Not exactly. According the Sri Lankan sources and Sri Lankan Consul General for Canada, Mr. Bandula Jayasekera. Speaking to an Indian media outlet that has conveniently joined the Canadian press, that has been sensationalizing the Deepak Obhrai situation, comparing it to Bob Rae's denial of entry to Sri Lanka. The two are completely different scenarios according to Mr. Jayasekera. Below is what he said about the situation, to India Abroad.

Bandula Jayasekera, Sri Lankan Consul-General in Toronto, told India Abroad that he wrote to his country's foreign secretary. "I know firsthand he (Obhrai) was not refused visa. The only thing we said was it was difficult for us to receive him at this time as we are having high profile Japanese delegation."

Jayasekera, in fact, read out an official response that he received from the foreign secretary in Colombo: 'Deepak (Obhrai) was not denied the visa but he was requested to come later due to the clash with the visit of the high level Japanese envoy Vaushushi Akashi, who deals with Sri Lanka.'

Jayasekera said, "We always recognise and we have respect for the government of Canada and we are very close. We really appreciate what Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Canadian government have done on the Sri Lankan issue. The visa for Mr Obhrai was not an issue. It was simply difficult to receive both the Japanese envoy and Mr Obhrai at the same time. Mr Obhrai can go at a later date."

To read the complete news report, CLICK HERE

Canada to remain 'involved' with Sri Lanka on Tamils despite visa denial

Tue, Jun 16 10:39 AM
Toronto, June 16 (IANS)

Despite Colombo's refusal to give visa to its parliamentary secretary Deepak Obhral, Canada said Monday it will continue to engage Sri Lanka on the Tamil issue and work to rehabilitate Tamils displaced by the conflict.

Indian-origin parliamentary secretary (equal to minister of state in India) Deepak Obhrai, who was denied visa by the Sri Lankan High Commission here last week, said Canada remained committed to the reconciliation process in the island nation.

'Despite denial of visa to me, we want to be engaged with Sri Lankans to bring about reconciliation between them and the Tamils,' Obhrai told IANS. Obhrai was the second-highest ranking Canadian to be denied entry into Sri Lanka last week.

READ THE STORY

Where's our Unity?

Reading about Bob Rae's deportation from Sri Lanka I was as ecstatic as any patriotic Sri Lankan living in these parts. It was one of the best news we heard since the May 18th demise of the Sun God, Prabhakaran. For once Sri Lanka has taken a stand against the bleeding hearted western politicians with the white man's burden syndrome! Rae wasn't alone as many were turned back for similar reasons, and in that sense the GOSL has been consistent with their approach.

Then came the interview given by our Sri Lankan HC in Ottawa, Mr. Daya Perera to the CTV as well as the print media. On the TV interview our esteem foreign officer with many years of experience agrees with the interviewer that it was a mistake to not let Bob Rae in to Sri Lanka. The interviewer who was probably as surprised by his stance against GOSL, even goes on to mention HC mentioned this while the camera was on recording.

Next he goes on the print media saying he intends to sue fellow Sri Lankan patriot, Ira de Silva.. for what we can only imagine. All she did was write an article with very valid reasons, why Bob Rae's visit is not productive for Sri Lanka at this juncture. It was something the HC should have done with ease, using an internal mail to his boss in Sri Lanka. May be the he was upset that she and countless other patriots and Associations, including the Consul General in Toronto, has been doing HC's job during these trying times. Either way I believe he has once again opened his mouth and goofed up, making a mockery of our already tarnished name of our country. What he has done is shown to the world that there's no Unity among the Sri Lankans, even now after all the talk of ONE SRI LANKA! Instead of standing by a fellow Sri Lankan patriot for exercising the Freedom of speech and expression, he has decided sue her. Even if he didn't agree with her position, he shouldn't have contradicted the position of GOSL by agreeing it was a mistake to not let Bob Rae in to Sri Lanka.

However I am told that since all these decisions to sue or not has to be approved by GOSL, the chances of an actual lawsuit happening is slim to none. However the damage is done by his actions. I believe it's time we voiced our opinion, first to the high commissioner and then to Dr. Palitha Kohona. As Sri Lankans living in Canada we have the right to at least request a better, stronger representation of our country. We have created 2 polls on the right hand column of this blog. Please vote and let us know your opinion. We also welcome all of you to join this conversation and write your comments below. We will send the results to both the Foreign Office in Colombo and the HC in Ottawa. We can agree or disagree. But it's important that our opinions are heard loud and clear. - Sinhaya

Here's the link to the Toronto Star article the HC made the comment to.

UPDATED LINKS - Click on the links below to read some actions taken by fellow Sri Lankan patriots!!!

Letter to Canadian Foriegn Affairs Minister, written by Mr. Asoka Weerasinghe

Letter to the editor of Toronto Star, released by the Sri Lanka United National Association of Canada

Sponge Bob Square Pants deported from Sri Lanka

Rae 'dumbfounded' after Sri Lanka denies him entry

Having been thrown out of the country Bob seems to have not learnt his lesson, and continues to take shots at the Sri Lankan Government. He brings a new meaning to being "dumb" & "found" what he stands for.- Sinhaya

Four guilty of Tamil Tiger terror charges

Stewart Bell and Adrian Humphreys,

National Post Published: Wednesday, June 10, 2009

RCMP Aided Bust; Support network operated in U. S. and Canada

Four men arrested for their involvement in a Tamil Tigers support network that operated in the United States and Canada pleaded guilty to terrorism charges yesterday.

Karunakaran Kandasamy, Pratheepan Thavaraja, Murugesu Vinayagamoorthy and Vijayshanthar Patpanathan face maximum sentences of 15 to 20 years after entering their pleas in a Brooklyn courtroom.

Mr. Kandasamy was the leader of the U. S. branch of the Tamil Tigers, the separatist guerrillas defeated by Sri Lankan government forces last month following more than 25 years of civil war, the U. S. Justice Department said.

Mr. Thavaraja was a senior Tamil Tigers procurement agent who had relied on supporters in the United States and Canada "to assist him in researching and obtaining military technology," according to the indictment.

READ THE STORY

CSIS beefs up screening for Tamil Tigers

Extra agents added in Sri Lanka as backlog grows for Canadian visa requests

Bill Curry Ottawa — From Wednesday's Globe and Mail, Wednesday, Jun. 10, 2009 08:16AM EDT

Canada is boosting its immigration screening in Sri Lanka – shifting overseas CSIS agents from New Delhi to Colombo in a bid to keep defeated Tamil Tiger terrorists from landing here.

In addition to moving agents from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the Canada Border Services Agency from their posts in India, the federal immigration department is adding staff to manage the growing backlog of Sri Lankan visa requests.

READ THE STORY

Sri Lanka deports Canadian legislator

Wed Jun 10, 2009 9:51am BST

By Ranga Sirilal

COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka on Wednesday deported a Canadian legislator it views as sympathetic to the Tamil Tiger separatists, the latest foreign official it has sent out of the country at the end of a 25-year war.

Bob Rae, a Liberal party legislator, said Sri Lanka's government had reached "ill-conceived and defamatory conclusions about me," and said his record showed he had spoken out against the Tigers during his prior involvement in the peace process.

Rea was stopped at Sri Lanka's international airport, said C.B. Abeykoon, controller of immigration and emigration.

"We got some intelligence reports on this gentleman and the instructions were not to allow him into the country, so he is detained at the airport and he will be deported by the next available flight," Abeykoon told Reuters.

READ THE STORY

In Sri Lanka: A Look at the Refugee Camp

Jim Luce

Jim Luce (www.jimluce.com) writes and speaks on Thought Leaders and Global Citizens. Posted: June 4, 2009 06:25 PM

In the aftermath of Sri Lanka's victory over terrorism, there are many tears. The Tamil Tigers have been defeated, but 280,000 Sri Lankan Tamils are now Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) - in short, refugees in their own country.

The world is beating a path to the camps, first United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, followed by a U.S. Congressman from North Carolina.

Reports from the camp are that the Sri Lankan government has moved mountains to accommodate more than a quarter million people since the war ended ten days ago. But there are many more mountains to move. They need massive assistance.

The Chef's Guild of Sri Lanka -- an association of restaurant and hotel chefs -- have stepped up to cook 30,000 meals a day for the Tamil refugees. They did the same for their fellow Sri Lankans following the Tsunami.

READ THE STORY

LTTE property rush has begun in Canada

THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 2009

By P. Bala

Recently Sri Lanka Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogolagama has said that war with LTTE is over in Sri Lanka and he said now time to dismantle LTTE net work and financial power internationally.

As we every one knows that LTTE has collected large sums of money for their war from Canadian Tamils. Most of this money was collected by extortion or by force but LTTE has not used this full money for war or to upgrade the Tamils civilians who lived under their rule. Most of this money has been invested in Canada itself in Properties and share market. These properties were left with few hands that were very close to LTTE head Pripabharan. Since LTTE head has lost his head at war and war for LTTE properties has begun.

Mr.Thava Ellyathambi is a well known person to most Canadian Tamils. He appeared as an aggressive supporter to Pripabaharan as he used to warship him daily and used to tells people that he is the only leader for the Tamil Community also Eleam is the only Home land for Tamils and Vanni is the only capital for Eleam. His obedience to Pripabharan is not a secrete as he was well looked after by LTTE as he was rewarded with a Shopping Mall named “ North Finch Shopping Center” at Jane and Finch area. Mr. Thava Ellyathambi started his life in Canada as a Century 21 salesman. LTTE also made few more investments in Colombo through him as he now owns few houses and medical clinic in the heart of Colombo in “Cinnamon Garden area”. Also recently he has started a new business to built Wind mill Power Stations. Since LTTE head is dead and gone Mr.Thava Ellyathambi is very much changed his stand and started telling that he is no more with Vanni. But underneath he still a leading man in CTC/WTC and also the first cousin of Mr. David Poobalapillai who originally recommended his name to LTTE to trust and buy properties under his name.

READ THE STORY

‘Aunty’ to female Tamil Tigers runs London protests from New Malden

Amar Singh
01.06.09

A Tamil terror chief who allegedly handed cyanide pills to child soldiers is living in a London suburb, the Standard can reveal.

Sri Lankan intelligence officials believe Adele Balasingham, 59, is one of the most senior figures in the remains of the terror group which fought a 26-year war for independence on the island and was defeated last month.

They claim she has played a key role in organising protests by Tamils outside Parliament and want Britain to take action against her.

Sri Lanka's government believes Tamil Tiger leaders abroad are raising funds and procuring equipment which could be used in fresh attacks.

Mrs Balasingham lives in a £500,000 house in New Malden, Surrey. She is the widow of Anton Balasingham, a Sri Lankan with British citizenship who was the chief political strategist of the Tamil Tigers until he died in 2006.

READ THE STORY