National Executive Committee (NEC) 
National President
April 8, 2009
Hon. Ratnasiri Wickramanayake
Prime Minister of Sri Lanka
No: 58, Sir Ernest De Silva Mawatha
Colombo 07, Sri Lanka
President Mahinda Rajapaksa
President, Sri Lanka
c/o Parliament of Sri Lanka
Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte
Sri Lanka
Dear President and Prime Minister:
On behalf of the 56,000 members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, I must strongly condemn your government for their involvement in the slaying of Sri Lankan citizens within the safety zone. We have received information that at least 71 civilians were killed and 143 sustained injuries and the doctors at Puthumaaththaʹlan makeshift hospital were struggling to save a one month old baby. The shellings and attacks have been perpetrated by the Sri Lankan army.
These brutal and reckless attacks need to end. The Tamil population of Sri Lanka has a fundamental right to be protected from the rampages of the Sri Lankan army.
One of the slogans of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers is an "Injury to one is an injury to all". The actions of your government in killing and injuring Tamil civilians have affected CUPW members in Canada.
I am urging you to stop the vicious attacks by the Sri Lankan army upon the Tamil population.
The Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa noted that economic ties between Sri Lanka and Canada are solid and longstanding. CUPW does not believe that Canada should have economic ties with Governments, such as yours, which routinely violate the human rights of the Tamil population.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.
Yours truly,
Denis Lemelin
National President
Canadian Union of Postal Workers
cc. National Executive Board
Toronto Local