| Should the government be doing more to press for a ceasefire in Sri Lanka? | |
| Yes | |
| No | |
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The UN confirmed today that the Sri Lankan government has agreed to a two-day ceasefire to allow trapped civilians to flee the conflict zone and receive humanitarian aid, but that wasn’t enough to satisfy the demonstrators on Wellington St.
They say the government’s promise of a temporary ceasefire is an empty one since hundreds of Tamils continue to be killed each day.
Tamil supporters are lining Wellington St. for a sixth day.
They are demanding an end to Sri Lankan government attacks against Tamil citizens and the Tamil Tiger rebel group, which has waged a civil war for more than two decades in an effort to secure an independent state.
The protesters say the Sri Lankan government is committing acts of genocide against the population and are demanding the Canadian government take action to end the conflict.
Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon issued a statement Saturday calling for a humanitarian pause in the hostilities to ensure the safe and voluntary movement of the more than 100,000 civilians believed to be trapped in the combat zone.
“We have received disturbing reports of shelling in the government-declared no-fire zone. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam must stop preventing civilians from leaving remaining LTTE-controlled territory and allow freedom of movement to civilians under its control,” said Cannon.
The Tigers are listed as a terrorist group under Canadian law. Demonstrators say that classification is based on misleading information provided by the Sri Lankan government.
Jennie Ghava, a Tamil community member from Toronto, said that while there has been some progress on the part of the Canadian government to secure an end to the conflict, the crowd will continue to protest until further action is taken to ensure the safety of their people in Sri Lanka.
“We are very happy with what the foreign minister has said, but at the same time there’s a lot more that we are looking for,” she said.
Six hunger strikers who began fasting on Wednesday are asking Canada to impose diplomatic sanctions on Sri Lanka by recalling Canada’s high commissioner.
Ghava said the crowd is also looking for in-person assurances from parliamentarians that action will be taken.
Representatives for the protesters have not made a formal request for a meeting with Cannon, the minister’s press secretary said.
laura.czekaj@sunmedia.ca