The following article appeared on the Brampton Guardian on 5^th July 2019  in response to the comments made by His Worship Patrick Brown, Mayor of Brampton City Council in his interview to the article ‘Shoulder to shoulder’: Brampton mayor defends Tamil genocide remembrance proclamation’ on 12^th June 2019.

Not a genocide

OPINION 04:00 AM Brampton Guardian

Friday Jul 5

 I write with reference to the article titled 'Shoulder to shoulder': Brampton mayor defends Tamil genocide remembrance proclamation by Graeme Frisque, published in the Brampton Guardian June 14, 2019.

The article does not reflect the position taken by the Sri Lanka High Commission and government of Sri Lanka.

Contrary to the assertions made by the mayor of Brampton, the government of Sri Lanka was engaged in a conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) which is designated as a terrorist organization by Canada, the U.S., India, U.K., Sri Lanka and the EU, while Australia has listed the LTTE under their terrorist asset-freezing sanctions.

The action by the Sri Lankan security forces during the conflict, which ended in 2009, was against a group designated as a terrorist organization and not against any community. Now that terrorism has been defeated, all communities are working in unison toward reconciliation and economic progress.

The government of Sri Lanka has taken many measures which include promotion and protection of human rights; upholding the rule of law; strengthening good governance and democracy; fostering reconciliation and sustainable peace; and ensuring equitable and inclusive development, for the benefit of all citizens.

The setting up an independent and permanent Office on Missing Persons, an Office for Reparations, Truth Seeking Commission/Truth and Reconciliation Commission, land release, resettlement of the internally displaced, criminalizing enforced disappearances, review of the Victim and Witness Protection Law, Prevention of Torture Review and repeal of the PTA, PTA Detainees, strengthening of the National Human Rights Commission and National Human Rights Action Plan are some of these measures already implemented.

The decision by the mayor and the councillors to liberally use the terminology ‘genocide' in connection to the conflict in Sri Lanka and choosing to remember only the Tamil people when the victims of this conflict included all communities in Sri Lanka, such as the Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims and the Christians, is extremely disturbing.

Moreover, neither the United Nations nor its agencies have confirmed that there had been genocide in Sri Lanka.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam remains a banned terrorist organization in 32 countries, including Canada, ten years after its defeat by the security forces in Sri Lanka.

As Brampton is home to a large number of Canadians of Sri Lankan origin from the Sinhala, Muslim and Christian communities, the proclamation by the City of Brampton appears to trivialize their losses and suffering.

It is our fervent hope that the mayor and the City of Brampton will consider the concerns of all Canadians of Sri Lankan origin equally in order to further promote peace and harmony among these communities in Canada.

M.A.K. Girihagama

High Commissioner for Sri Lanka in Canada

Source:https://www.bramptonguardian.com/opinion-story/9485258-not-a-genocide/