Our brethren in northern Sri Lanka have no access to food, medicines, clean drinking water, proper sanitary conditions, and other basic essentials as the government completely blocks and imposes severe sanctions on over 400,000 innocent civilians for many months now. The intent of the Sri Lankan state is to eliminate a race wholly or partly. This is what the UN defines as genocide.
Sri Lanka is systematically committing the worst genocides against Tamils without witness right under the noses of the international community. Sri Lanka even attacks hospitals, the sick and wounded, with their indiscriminate shelling and bombing even with banned cluster bombs.
We all should urge Canada to bring this utter genocidal war in Sri Lanka to an immediate halt by bringing about an internationally inspired immediate and permanent ceasefire.
The Canadian government should also push for international aid supplies including urgent medical supply and clean drinking water and other essentials to the affected people immediately.
Finally, Canada should be taking a leading role in pushing the warring parties to find a negotiated solution based on Tamils' rights to self-determination under the UN sponsor as LTTE represents Tamils and Singhalese represented by the present government.
Esan Satkunaraja
Scarborough, Ont.