"A meek endeavor to the triumph" by Sampath Jayarathna

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Do you see the difference CANADA? We DON'T - Sri Lankans against LTTE Terrorism















8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Freedom of expression/speech are actually quite closely guarded in Canada - they have constitutional protection.

Canada isn't Sri Lanka. The government supports constitutional rights and the courts are aggressive in protecting them.

The pro-violence message of the protesters is distasteful, but the Government has already stated that merely raising a flag and chanting isn't a violation of the law.

One day Sri Lanka will come to the point where it can protect the basic rights of every individual as assiduously as Canada. In the meantime, one wonders why they're focusing on limiting the rights of people in other societies.

Sri Lanka and ex-pat Sri Lankans abroad should be more concerned with protecting rights at home than restricting them abroad.

sampath said...

OK this freedom of expression/speech against Canada then what is the situation? If these tamils ask a seperate state of tamils with independent power? Then how these freedom of expression going to work? Try to realize the ground reality? Try to understand what they are askging? Our mother land Sri Lanka is a tiny Island and these tamils asking a seperate country within our country.

We are not against Diaspora tamils, we are against Tamil Terrorists! Try to understand that. If the freedom of speech against Canada, then we dont worry about it, but if it is against another country, then we have a right to speak about it too, and ask them to stop that.

See what is their in so called Tamil flag? A seperate country? Can see that? Wash your eye's again and see

I dont hate, tamils, but hate LTTE terror supporting tamils.

Sam said...

//One day Sri Lanka will come to the point where it can protect the basic rights of every individual as assiduously as Canada.//

Really Canada, before you blow your own horn, how about signing up for the UN indigenous rights declaration?

When Afghans in tribal parts of Afghanistan rally for distraction of west, raise funds for their terrorist activates, train pilots so they can fly in to buildings such as Inland Revenue service building, you send your army down there. Isn’t it mate? And when Canadians rally for distraction of Sri Lanka, raise funds, and train pilots, you call it freedom of expression. Afghans call it freedom of region. You call it freedom of expression. What is the deferent mate?

Dee said...

Anon, can I raise a Nazi flag or one from the KKK in Canada then? It's just a flag. I won't be advocating anything. I understand your view but this law doesn't make sense.

Anonymous said...

Sampath - People in Canada are free to criticize anything, even Canada itself, and the government protects their right to do so. And yes, there are groups who seek an independent state within Canada (Quebec) and they are protected by this right equally.

It is understandable that Sri Lankans would get upset about the message of the protest - my problem is with your response. It's very typically Sri Lankan: if you don't like something, seek to have it removed. The way this works is you're supposed to use your own right to free expression to argue the opposite view. If you disagree with these folks, tell us why the LTTE is bad, tell us why they're destructive, tell us why it's counter-productive to support them. That's what free expression is all about.

Instead, you just seek to shut them up. Again - thankfully you can't do that here.

Sam - fair point about the indigenous rights declaration, but that's clearly not a basic right, is it? Our opposition is political and borne out of practical concerns. The right to free expression is a broad, core belief protected by our Charter of Rights, whereas indigenous rights are protected in a much more limited way in another provision.

DeeCee - You can legally protest and advocate anything so long as it doesn't wilfully promote hatred. Neo-nazi's do protest in Canada from time to time, it's just uncommon and difficult for them to stay on the right side of the law because their core belief is the wilful promotion of hatred. The holding of an LTTE flag and a rally in support of the LTTE is non-violent political expression and it's protected.

Sri Lankan's have become so used to a repressive state that they consider it the norm. I wonder how long until they realize it isn't?

Canadian law prohibits material support for terrorist groups. Not moral support. There's a distinction there that's central.

sampath said...

OK Anonymous writer, here’s what you need to understand. You gave some insightful information about the Canadian law in protecting freedom speech. You agreed that these people supporting LTTE terrorists and they are waiving LTTE flags. You agreed with that correct? So they are providing moral support.
So, what will happen with this moral support? We don’t want to stop their moral support, we don’t want to stop flashing the LTTE flags, we don’t want to stop LTTE supporting rally’s, they can do whatever in Canada, and that’s up to Canadian government to realize what’s actually going on.
But actually what they are doing? Are they saying anything in support of IDP’s who escaped from the LTTE terrorists? Not a word……….are they providing moral support for the people who escaped …not a single word…….
Why Canadian government pressuring Sri Lankan government to declare a ceasefire? Why Canada asking amnesty for the LTTE terrorist leader Pibaharan (LTTE is already in their banned terrorist list)?
This is because of this false propaganda Diaspora rally’s by Tamils in Canada. That’s what we don’t like. Do whatever rally’s, block whatever roads……who cares……… those problems for you…….not for us…….but your government is pressuring us (because of these false, misinterpreted rally’s)............

Our country is not politically, or financially powerfull like the countries who pressuring us…….So what will be the outcome? An extended war with LTTE’s for years on…………suffering for Sinhalese and tamils……that’s what we want to stop………….

Stop supporting LTTE terrorist………………….Start supporting IDP’s who escaped ………………..

Anonymous said...

To add to the discussion: I'd like to call on all LTTE supporting Tamil diaspora (and those of any other race) to also support a violent "stuggle" for their own separate Homeland II in Canada, that will, after inception, be monoethnically Tamil. I also expect the Canadian gvernment to sit on the sidelines and not do anything about it as well.

Sam said...

Mate, I have jolly idea. Get your soldiers back home from Afghanistan, and tell Afghans why Al Qaeda is bad, tell them why they're destructive, tell them why it's counter-productive to support them. That's what free expression is all about. Once you do that, please do come, come talk to us.

Mate, what you don’t understand is, Afghanistan to Canada, is what is Canada to us. Both provide moral support openly, material support never comes in an open box. Isn’t it mate? Al Qaeda plans attacks on you, from tribal areas of Afghanistan, and LTTE plan attack on us from tribal areas of Canada. Just because you people ware designer cloth and drink starbucks coffee, you are not any bit of a deferent than Afghans who plan attacks on other countries.

//It's very typically Sri Lankan: if you don't like something, seek to have it removed.//
It is human mate. Not distinctive to Sri Lankans alone.

Yes. Indigenous people, what is left of them, have basic right now.

Mate, Compare Quebec with LTTE, when “Quebec separatists” (in tight pants) blow up your central bank building and fly a flight in to the Inland Revenue building (with a Canadian pilot). Don’t compare toys story with Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Finally and most importantly Mate, who tried to shut LTTE down in Canada? None of us told you to shut nothing down. We never told you to how to run your country, we never will. We are not that pompoms group of people. We are not Canadians.