Eezham Tamils in Canada protested the hosting of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the British Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations on Wednesday. The demonstration took place in front of the British Consulate-General in Toronto. The Queen of England is also the head of State and Queen of Canada. The protesters displayed placards calling SL President Mahinda Rajapakse as a war criminal and shouted slogans against the ongoing genocide against Eezham Tamils. They also condemned Sri Lanka’s membership in the Commonwealth.
The invitation of the Sri Lankan President to such a historic celebration, amidst persistent allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity against him and the Sri Lankan armed forces is counterproductive to humanity, the protestors said.
The SL President’s lunch with the Queen should have been cancelled by the Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma following the example of the cancellation of the SL President’s key-note address at the Commonwealth Business Council, the protestors commented.
The leadership of the Commonwealth of Nations inviting the SL President is hypocritical against the backdrop of the UNHRC resolution in Geneva raising a question mark on the country’s war crimes and human rights record, the protestors further told TamilNet.
The demonstration in Canada, the largest Commonwealth country having the largest Eezham Tamil diaspora, is a token protest extending support to the demonstrations by their kith and kin in London, the organisers said.
(For updates you can share with your friends, follow TNN on Facebook and Twitter )