Sri Lankan High Commission in Canada is not doing much

| LETTER TO EDITOR

From a Sri Lankan Student in Canada– Toronto, Ontario

(October 10, Toronto, Sri Lanka Guardian) Mr. Stephen Harper’s Canadian government is aggressively campaigning to pressure Sri Lanka on human rights and political reconciliation. He warned that he’ll boycott the 2013 Commonwealth summit in Sri Lanka. From his speech at the UNGA, the Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird has also made the campaign a priority.

The LTTE diaspora works very hard to make sure that every Tamil student who enters the Canadian University should join the Tamil Students Association. They also do everything possible to make the cultural event very colorful and attractive and their parents help with all kinds of Tamil cuisines displayed at the stall.

In countries like Canada where the LTTE diasporas’ politics/propaganda is powerful enough to the extent of influencing the government as well as the opposition to act against Sri Lanka, it is the duty of the Sri Lankan government to appoint extraordinary diplomats who are highly effective, efficient, patriotic and capable of not only countering the LTTE diasporas’ politics/propaganda but also promote Sri Lanka by encouraging them (Canadians) to come and see our rich multi-cultural heritage and the warm Sri Lankan hospitality. Unfortunately the Sri Lankan High Commission does not seem to be capable of doing any of the above.

There is a large number of patriotic Sri Lankans among the Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim and Burgher communities living in Canada who can be mobilized to organize multi-cultural events in Canada to not only promote Sri Lanka but also to show the Canadians how united we are as a multi-ethnic nation. Such events should be initiated by the Sri Lankan High Commissioner and her staff.

For example, there is a large network of young professionals, artists, academics and community-minded individuals among the Canadian Sri Lankans who have formed a group known as the Sri Lankans without borders. Surprisingly there are many young Tamils and Sinhalese in this group committed to promote inter-communal harmony and solidarity among Sri Lankans. These young Canadian Sri Lankan men and women have voluntarily involved in several community projects to bring the Tamil and Sinhalese communities together and also to promote Sri Lanka among the Canadians. These people do not need any funds from the Sri Lankan government; they only need some support and encouragement from the Sri Lankan High Commission. What has the Sri Lankan High Commission done to promote such people to organize cultural events in Canada?

Another good example is the Universities in Canada. Almost all the Universities in Canada encourage and fund the students from different nationalities to form an Alliance/Association and organize cultural and other events to promote their countries (of origin).

In most of the leading Canadian Universities, there is also a Sri Lankan Student Alliance/Association that carries the Sri Lankan Lion flag and also a Tamil Students Association that carries a Tiger flag. The LTTE diaspora works very hard to make sure that every Tamil student who enters the Canadian University should join the Tamil Students Association. They also do everything possible to make the cultural event very colorful and attractive and their parents help with all kinds of Tamil cuisines displayed at the stall.

Very unfortunately, even though there are enough of Sri Lankan students from the Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim and Burgher communities in the Canadian Universities, only a very few volunteer to join the Sri Lankan Student Alliance/Associations. Even though they obtain funds from the Universities, unlike the Tamils, the executive committee of these Sri Lankan Student Alliance/Associations does not have enough support or encouragement from the Sri Lankan community in Canada and most of the Sri Lankan parents do not have that patriotic feelings and therefore are not so interested in motivating their children. The Sri Lankan High Commission is also capable of guiding and helping these students to put up a good cultural show to promote Sri Lanka in a much better way but unfortunately the High Commission is not at all interested in even knowing that there are such Sri Lankan students associations, because so far these Sri Lankan students associations have never received any kind of support or even a word of encouragement from the High Commission. Each year, these few Sri Lankan students try their best and organize the cultural show even without any appreciation.

These are just a few examples where the Sri Lankan High Commission can do a lot to promote Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan government should make sure that in countries like Canada where a lot of Sri Lankan propaganda is needed; there should be some highly effective, efficient, patriotic and capable staff in the High Commission.