Toroto MASS RALLY AT SRI LANKAN CONSULATE Nov 21 @ 12:30 pm

Dear All,

Please make every effort to particiapte in the Canadian Concrned about Sri Lanka rally (www.canadiansconcerned.ca) on Saturday November 21st 2009 from 12:00 to 2:30 pm. This is a rally which is different from others. It is being organized by a broad coalition consisting mainly of prominent non-Tamil organizations. Please speak to all your friends and family urging them to attend, it only lasts for 2 hours and it is on a Saturday. There are some prominent speakers at the rally like Jack Layton and Bob Rae.

We should encourage the organizers by showing up in large numbers for this rally. It is very important this non-Tamil coalitions grows, so that a strong message can be effectively sent to Sri Lankan government (and the Canadian government to act strongly) Everyone should work on this effort to get more people for this very important rally, please speak to your non-Tamil friends and co-workers urging them to attend.

If the non-tamil population takes up our issue in large numbers all politicians here in Canada will fight over to champion for Jutice of Tamils in Sri Lanka.

If you have questions or need clarifications please contact Canadian Tamil Congress at (416) 240-0078

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MASS RALLY AT SRI LANKAN CONSULATE

WILL FORM A CIRCLE OF HOPE

FOR THOUSANDS DETAINED

Bob Rae and Jack Layton to speak at a Rally to “Unlock the Camps” in Sri Lanka

Location: Sri Lankan Consulate (40 St. Clair West)

Date & Time: Nov 21 @ 12:30 pm

Toronto – As the humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka remains in critical condition, community groups are uniting this Saturday to form a Circle of Hope. The objective of the rally is to raise awareness and increase pressure on the Sri Lankan government to respond to the plight of the civilians in detention camps. The Circle of Hope will be held alongside actions in at least ten other countries, including the US, France, Germany and Mauritius. The events support Amnesty International’s Campaign to ‘Unlock the Camps,”

Currently tens of thousands of civilians remain imprisoned in deplorable camps. As Amnesty International reports, what the Sri Lankan government is doing constitutes “arbitrary detention”. The civilians in these detention camps should have access to civilian administration, systematic and transparent registration, and have the right to return to their homes.

“Allowing humanitarian aid into the camps and enabling the 200,000 or more civilians to return to their homes would be a signal to the world that the restoration of human rights is key in ending conflicts in troubled lands,” said Allan Parker, United Church of Canada Toronto Conference. The call for immediate release of those in detention camps is echoed by several groups who feel that this issue not only for Tamil Canadians but for all Canadians.

“It is vital that Canadians speak out about the humanitarian crisis in that embattled island and raise these issues with key decision-makers,” said John Cartwright, President of the Toronto & York Region Labour Council. Federal politicians, Liberal Foreign Affairs Critic Bob Rae and NDP leader Jack Layton, will speak about the injustices faced by detained civilians.

Canadians Concerned about Sri Lanka is a broad coalition of community, labour and academics who came together in June 2009 in response to the humanitarian crisis. The group hopes to press the Canadian government and international bodies to pressure Sri Lanka to treat all its citizens equally and in a just manner.

For more information, contact CCSL at contactCCSL@gmail.com