Human Chain of Tamils Circles City Core

by Leslie Ferenc, The Toronto Star, March 16, 2009

A sea of protesters flying Canadian and Tamil Eelam flags stood shoulder to shoulder, in some places three and four deep, along busy downtown streets yesterday, saying they were there to speak for those in their homeland of Sri Lanka who cannot.

Tamil protesters estimated about 120,000 people lined sidewalks in a nearly seven-kilometre human chain along Front St., north up Yonge St. to Bloor St., then west to University Ave. and south again to Front.

The chain was broken only at intersections to allow busy midday traffic to flow, but thinned in numbers along Bloor St. and University Ave.

Tamil protestors lined the streets of downtown Toronto March 16, 2009 demonstrating against the political turmoil in Sri Lanka.

By 5:30 p.m., Front St. was closed as emotionally charged demonstrators congregated in a massive show of strength and solidarity for those they say are facing atrocities back home. At 200,000-plus, Greater Toronto is home to the largest diaspora of Sri Lankan Tamils.

Brussels protest March 16, 2009. Photo: TamilNet

Demonstrators, among them seniors, families with young children, and students, chanted “We want justice. We want it now” and “Free our leader.” They called on the Canadian government to lift its ban on fundraising for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, and help broker peace in war-torn Sri Lanka. Many said the only solution is to separate and create a Tamil state and government. They want Tamils to have a say in their future through a referendum to separate.

Canada last year declared the World Tamil Movement, a Canadian group which is alleged to raise money for the Tigers, a terrorist organization. In 2006 it declared the Tigers a terrorist organization.

Here’s what protesters were saying:

Gowry Soma - Bay and Front Sts.:
When he was 7, a Sri Lankan soldier put a gun to Gowry Soma’s chest and asked Soma why he shouldn’t shoot him. Decades later, Soma said he can still feel the cold steel of the barrel. “I came here in 1992 and since then I’ve never been scared for my life,” said Soma, who lives in Guelph. “For the first 14 years of my life, I lived in fear. Tamil people in Sri Lanka still live in fear every day. They are being killed every day. They don’t have food, medicine or shelter. They have no voice. I am their voice today.”

Genit Jeyakanthan – King and Yonge Sts.:
“I’m here because our relatives back home are living in a war-torn area,” said the 23-year-old York University student, whose uncle was killed during an air force bombing recently, leaving behind a newborn baby. “I’m here to ask for a peaceful solution to the conflict and to bring awareness to Canadians and the international community about what is happening there. This is a very emotional issue for our community. We feel nothing is being done by the international community to help to solve the problems back home. The way I see it, we either have one country in war or two countries in peace.”

Meera Nimalraj – College and Yonge Sts.:
“I’m here to help raise awareness among people who are not Tamils about the genocide in Sri Lanka. Not only is the government killing our people, it is also killing our culture, our traditions, our language,” said the 18-year-old University of Toronto student, who brought her younger cousins to the protest. “I want [my cousins] to know that in Sri Lanka, children aren’t as lucky as they are. The least I can do for them is to spread the message of the crimes against them around the world.”

Kulasingham Thanabalasingham – Yonge and Bloor Sts.:
“The Sri Lankan government is killing our people and the Tamil Tigers are the only ones that represent our people,” he said, adding he’s committed to spreading the message of atrocities in Sri Lanka and has been as far as Washington, D.C., to protest the treatment of Tamils in Sri Lanka. “Some people say the Tamil Tigers are terrorists. They are not. They are freedom fighters. They are dying for us all. It’s why the Canadian government must lift the ban on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and help negotiate peace between the two parties, and also provide medical aid, food and financial support because the Tamil people are suffering. Something has to be done for them as soon as possible.”

Guna Subramaniam and his cousin Vithi Thillai – University Ave. and Queen’s Park Circle:
“We want the Canadian government to help stop the fighting, the genocide,” said Subramaniam, who brought his whole family, including his 65-year-old mother. Every day children are dying. Every day we’re asking, asking, asking for help from the Canadian government. And we are not terrorists," said Thillai, who said some of his family members in Sri Lanka have been killed. “The LTTE is the only source to protect the Tamils. The LTTE is the only voice of the Tamils. It is frustrating for us and we are depressed when we hear over and over about our family members and friends who are killed. Yet there’s nothing we can do except go to the streets and ask for help. We hope the international community is listening.”

Nathan Sinnthurai – near University Ave. and College St.:
“I’m here to represent my people and my family in Sri Lanka,” said Sinnthurai, who brought his two young children and wife to the demonstration. He said the protest was important enough to book a half-day off work. “The Sri Lankan military has an operation that covers a 52-kilometre area with 200,000 people living inside it. That area is bombed day and night. My sister’s husband was killed by a bomb last year in March. He was a lawyer. I’m here for him and the other innocent people. The Sri Lankan government has also killed many journalists who write about the situation. Many journalists have left Sri Lanka where there is no freedom of the media. It’s why we have to tell the world what is happening there. We need to help our people.”

Kirupananthy Sripathmanathan – University Ave. and Queen St. W.:
“Everyone here has relatives or friends that have died,” said Sripathmanathan, as husband Sripathmanathan Vadivelu translated. “The government is killing us and even though we talk, talk, talk, no one is helping us. We want our own country. We want to be separate. We want freedom and a life there, like in Canada, where people can speak and connect with their families and be free. We are not terrorists. We only want to be free.”