Diaspora Diaries: “O Canada”

By: H. Herath
Sri Lanka Guardian Correspondent, New York City

(March 19, New York City, Sri Lanka Guardian) They gathered. Hundreds of people, if not thousands, came to wave a flag, chant slogans, carry banners, and demonstrate their beliefs; it’s called ‘freedom of expression’. Let me note that this was not a rally for the environment; it was not a protest against big businesses and their role in the global economic crisis; it wasn’t even a march for peace. Rather, it was quite the opposite; it was another rally of support for the LTTE. I use the term ‘another’ because it is about the third or fourth major rally in the greater area of Toronto, Canada.

So here we are in March of 2009, and we bear witness to a large demonstration in support of a terrorist group. Are you kidding me? In the past few decades, particularly the last few years, terrorism has taken center stage in the events of the world; suicide bombings, plane hijackings, ethnic cleansing, and the use of human shields are just a few of the tactics employed by terrorist groups. Tens of thousands have been killed by these types of operations, and these types of actions all end with the same message: nothing justifies taking the life of another. So I wonder, after all the evidence has been published about terrorist groups, why are there still people who support them?

What’s interesting, or incomprehensible, is that these rallies took place in Toronto. Based solely on the distance between Canada and Sri Lanka, I would presume that Toronto would be one of the last places to be used as a setting for these types of demonstrations. After all, I live 7 miles outside of Manhattan, and it would take me about 9 hours to drive to Canada; yet, we, the US-residing Sri Lankans, have not witnessed the same types of dissent within our own communities. My doctor is Tamil, a colleague of mine is Tamil, and the owner of a restaurant which I frequent is Tamil; they are all from Jaffna, and at least one of them was affected by the race riots in 1983. I know that there are more Sri Lankan Tamils with similar backgrounds that reside in New York; yet, I do not recall any of them brandishing the flag of the Tigers or blatantly announcing their support for the LTTE. Then, why is Canada so different?

Many will say that the politics of Canada are dissimilar to those of the United States; a mosaic versus a melting pot. Toronto boasts one of the largest Tamil Diasporas; quite a few were allowed entrance to Canada as asylum-seekers. That being said, many of them have not returned to Sri Lanka. They have not seen the changes in the country, particularly to the changes in attitude of race, religion, and separatism. The current attitudes and perspectives of the pro-LTTE members of the Tamil Diaspora are a reflection of the politics in the 60s, 70s, and 80s; they are a mirror of the past. They cry out for a separate state, yet they do not realize the cost of separatism. They wave the flag of the LTTE and proclaim their mother country to be “Eelam”, yet many of them, especially those of the younger generation, have yet to step on Sri Lankan soil. They claim to represent the suffering of the Tamil people still on the island; yet it is the Tamil people in the north and east that are the victims of the LTTE.

The opinions of the pro-LTTE members of the Tamil Diaspora are skewed towards the wrong direction; it doesn’t take a genius to attain that realization. Yet, it is the actions of the pro-LTTE Tamils that never cease to amaze me. Take, for example, the recent happenings at Canada’s York University: pro-LTTE students marched through campus grounds shouting support for the LTTE, waving the flag of the Tigers, and then burning the flag of Sri Lanka. Equally shocking were photos taken inside one of the buildings at York, showing the flag of the Tigers hanging next to those of sovereign nations; and all this time, I thought I would never see a symbol of terrorism hanging so nonchalantly on university grounds in North America. As a Sri Lankan, I have to ask: Why is that flag hanging next to those of other countries? Eelam is not a sovereign country, and would not be recognized as such by any international governing body; it is not the next Kosovo, the flag should be removed. Unfortunately, the events at York University were mimicked at the nearby University of Toronto-Scarborough and Centennial College campuses. All that energy and all that effort in support of terrorism.

So I wonder, what would happen if all the energy and effort that was sanctioned for the LTTE could be redirected in support for peace and unity in Sri Lanka? Just imagine if all members of the Sri Lankan Diaspora – Tamil, Sinhalese, Burghers, etc – banded together for peace, and called for an end to this senseless war. History is littered with examples of how people rose up and joined together to accomplish the most unlikely of all deeds. From the American revolution, the French revolution, the Underground Railroad, the resistance movement to Nazi Germany, to the end of Apartheid; modern history has shown us the power of people. If we could just stop thinking of each other along the lines of religion and ethnicity, and start thinking in terms of unity, then we can finally close the chapter that is the civil war in Sri Lanka. As former US President Lincoln once said, “We are not enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection”. So, I put forth this request, that each of us should recognize one another as Sri Lankans and not as Sinhalese or Tamils or Muslims or Burghers; and that each time we raise our voices or efforts it should be in terms of peace and unity. Then, perhaps, we can begin to foster the hope that one day Sri Lankans will all be peacefully united under one country and one flag.

(The writer can be reached at hh@srilankaguardian.org)

-Sri Lanka Guardian