A common misconception, I have found, is that people (and often the media) assume the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE or the Tamil Tigers) and the Tamil people are one in the same. This is a gross misconception, for many Tamil people do not support the LTTE and if they do, it was most likely because no one else in the world was standing up for them. The massive protests in Toronto in support of the Tamils may have seemed to be in favour of the Tigers. But underlying the protests was the disgust with the horrific number of Tamils the Sri Lankan government executed during the last few months of the civil war. While the injustices of the LTTE have been many – including the high profile assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, Prime Minister of India, in 1996 – the Sri Lankan government itself has many things to answer for. BOTH sides of the civil war mercilessly bombed and killed civilians who were, often enough, innocent Tamils. It is these Tamils that need asylum in Canada – not the ones who perpetuated and propagated this war.
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There is a conflict in Sri Lanka? You didn’t know? Well, you aren’t alone. The conflict is between the Sri Lankan government and the rebel group officially known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Haven’t heard of them? They also like to be called the Tamil Tigers, and they happen to be considered a terrorist organization by many countries included Canada and the US. The 25 year long civil war is in its last stages as the Tigers have been cornered by government forces in a 300 square kilometer patch of land in the north of the country. There are hundreds of thousands of civilians located in this war zone, unable to escape the conflict.
This all sounds pretty familiar doesn’t it? Terrorist organization attacking a country, civilians are held hostage in the middle, with proposed ceasefires and civilian casualties occurring every day. Claims of both sides using civilians as human shields have been thrown back and forth along with accusations of both parties directly attacking civilians. This war sounds nearly the same as the Israel and Palestinian conflict, right down to the massive protest rallies held in downtown Toronto.
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