Toronto Sun
Last Updated: February 4, 2011 6:29pm
Toronto’s Tamil community have taken it to the streets again.About 200 people marched outside the Sri Lankan Embassy on St. Clair Ave. W. between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Friday protesting the treatment of their fellow Tamils in their homeland.
“Our people are still in a very bad situation,” said Prab Alliah, 50, Ontario chairman of the National Council of Canadian Tamils. “In Sri Lnaka (Tamils) are not living as humans, they live as animals,”
Tamil protesters brought the city streets to a halt many times in the spring of 2009 in an effort to convince the Canadian government to stop the war in Sri Lanka.
Friday marked the 63rd anniversary of Sri Lankan independence but Tamils say that is the day they lost their freedom.
Tamils in Sri Lanka are subject to constant oppression, violence and murder, said one protester.
Kandiah, who didn’t want to give his last name, went so far as to call it a “genocide.”
“Last war, in 2009, they massacred over 100,000 people, they have used chemical weapons, they have killed innocent people (and) they have raped,” Kandiah alleged.
He wants the British, who put the Sri Lankan and Tamil people together to answer for what is happening now.
Many of the protesters want their people to have basic human rights guaranteed. The NCCT wants Canada’s help to get those rights.
“Here right now we are trying to explain our government, the Canada government to try to help Tamil people back home,” Alliah. “We need freedom.”
Uniformed Toronto Police were on scene but the protest remained subdued.
“So far they have been very cooperative and very accommodating to our wishes, its a peaceful demonstration, no problems today,” Sgt. Dan McDermott said.
