Canada-wide Day of Mourning for Tamils in Sri Lanka

by Canadian Tamil Congress, February 3, 2009

For Immediate Release 

February 3, 2009

Canada-wide Day of Mourning for Tamils in Sri Lanka

Canada-wide Day of Mourning for Tamils in Sri Lanka

As Sri Lanka celebrates its Independence Day on February 4th, Tamil Canadians will be mourning the loss of innocent civilians killed due to the hostilities of the Sri Lankan government.  Over the past several weeks, the Sri Lankan government has violated the Geneva Convention by deliberately targeting Tamil civilians in the North and East of Sri Lanka.  Currently there are over a quarter of a million Tamil civilians who are trapped within a 300 square kilometer conflict area and denied access to urgent medical care, humanitarian aid, and media access for independent verification of the situation.          

“Tamil Canadians are deeply concerned about the fate of our loved ones back home who are facing immense hardships due to the escalating conflict,” says David Poopalapillai National Spokesperson for the Canadian Tamil Congress. “We beseech the Canadian government to intervene by urging the Sri Lankan government to immediately cease hostilities against the Tamil people and allow international aid to reach civilians.”         

International actors have strongly condemned the actions of the Sri Lankan government. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay stated that, “It is the Government's duty to provide safety to all Sri Lanka's citizens, whatever their ethnic origin or political views. That means not only protecting civilians during military operations in the north, but also ensuring space for journalists and human rights defenders to seek out the truth and expose abuses.”         

Candle Light Vigils will be taking place in major cities from coast to coast: Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver to urge the Canadian government to take decisive action to help end the unfolding humanitarian crisis.