Asoka Weerasinghe Kings Grove Crescent . Gloucester . Ontario Canada

November 15, 2010

Hon. Bob Rae, PC, OC., OOnt., QC., LLD.,MPƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Liberal Party Foreign Affairs Critic ( and author of the Chapter ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”An Island ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  MistrustƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ in his book Exporting Democracy: The Risks and Rewards of Pursuing a Good Idea)ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ House ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  CommonsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Ottawa

DearƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Bob:

I see that you did Sri Lanka in again with your chapter ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”An Island of MistrustƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  I read it twice with patience.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  I didnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t have to read it the third time as I realized that it was a Political Monologue in three Acts bashing Sri Lanka ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” Act One : A woman scorned; Act Two: The Sri Lanka Slasher and Act Three: Heading the Canadian Politico-Mafia against Sri Lanka.

Further what struck me immediately was the Nursery Rhyme that you and I learnt when we were kids in the kindergarten and the modern version that may have made you gore Sri Lanka with your poison nibbed pen:

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Little Miss Muffet, Sat on a tuffet, eating her curds and whey. There came a big spider, which sat down beside her, and frightened Miss Muffet away.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

The modern version – ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Little Bob Rae, sat on a brae, eating Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s kiri and paani. There came a Tamil Tiger, who sat beside him, and said ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-You speak for us and if notƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ and frightened Bob Rae away.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ And so you write this one-sided drivel.

Let me see whether I can analyze your chapter with brutal honesty and this analysis will not be laced with diplomacy.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  This may also be an educational thesis for you on Sri Lanka and what Sri Lanka is all about, and perhaps make you realize that you after all is another dishonest politician on the planet.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ By the way, I am a Sri Lankan-Canadian, Sinhalese-Buddhist, who arrived in Canada on August 26, 1968 and I have been following this story from day one since the Black July riots in 1983.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  And I am certainly not a Johnny-come-lately as most of your colleagues in the Liberal party are who are huffing and puffing to bring Sri Lanka down.

If you were honest, you would have titled the chapter as ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-An island of WorldƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s envyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  But, you had your Sri Lanka bashing agenda all worked out and thus your title ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-An island of mistrustƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  I knew what was coming next while reading it, and I was right.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ You have bashed Sri Lanka before, and you have now. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ You remember how on June 2, 2009, you stood up in parliament and said, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Mister Speaker, I have a question for the Minister of Foreign Affairs.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  It is clear that it is now necessary that there should be public enquiries into the events that have taken place in Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦What will the Minister do to ensure that an international enquiry is carried out with regard to this question?ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Bob, and this was after 29 countries defeated the motion to have such enquiry at the UN Human Rights Council with the intention to produce the Sri Lankan Government at the International War Crimes Court.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Canada was one of the 12 mostly white-European countries that voted for this motion. And I see that you are not giving Sri Lanka a snowball chance in a burning hell to get up on her feet and wash her bloodied face and get on with her life.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  There is something perverse about all this and it is not nice, and I am not prepared to let her take that kind of abuse from neo-colonial masters like you, or any other Liberal-Canadian from your caucus like Jim Karygiannis, Derek Lee, Maria Minna, Judy Sgro, Albina Guarneri, Robert Oliphant or Andrew Karnia.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I will make an effort to go down your chapter with my comments and I want you to follow my thread with diligence.

• ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…- What lessons are we to draw from the Sri Lankan conflict?ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ you asked in that chapter.

This is what Sri Lanka has to learn and I wonder whether she will ever learn.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  For starters she should learn a lesson from a great Liberal Canadian.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Your former party leader and Prime Minister, Pierre Elliot Trudeau.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

When Canada felt the rumblings of a terrorist insurrection by the Front de Liberation du Quebec (FLQ) with mail-box bombings and kidnapping and killing of QuebecƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Minister of Labour Pierre Laporte, and kidnapping of BritainƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Trade Commissioner James Cross, Canada wasnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t prepared to fool around like the Sri Lankan Governments.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Our Prime Minister Trudeau took the challenge to nip it in the bud.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  And on Friday, October 16, 1970, Canada proclaimed the War Measures ActƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  suspending all civil liberties, and got the military to guard every street corner in MontrƒÆ’†’ƒ”š‚©al, and military helicopters to buzz over the capital Ottawa like mosquitoes, and gave the police powers to hold for 21 days without charge anyone they considered sympathetic to the FLQ.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  They got the killer-trouble makers by the scruff of their necks and banished them out of the country.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Remember?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Trudeau didnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t care two Arctic snow flakes for protests by the international community and internally for evoking the draconian law.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Bob, and no doubt you remember what he said to BBC reporter Tim Ralfe on October 13, 1970, during the October Crisis, when he asked how Prime Minister Trudeau would go about suspending civil liberties. Trudeau said ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Well, just watch meƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ This is a lesson that should be learnt by the Sri Lankan government from Canada.

And what did Sri Lanka do?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  They pussy-footed around after the Jaffna Tamil Mayor Alfred Duraiappa was killed by Tamil guerillas in 1975, and while these Tamil guerrillaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s were ambushing and killing the majority Sinhalese in the North of the island. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ All this before these barefooted Tamil guerrillas were taken to Indian military camps by IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Indira Gandhi, to give them military training and sent them back having graduated as terrorists with festoons of live bullets around their necks, cradling KalashnikovƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s like babies and in jackboots and fatigues to kill my innocent Sinhalese mothers, infants and children who had no way of fighting these brutes back. The Sri Lankan government should have got these Tamil trouble make like what Trudeau did with the FLQ, kicked them in their groins and put them behind bars or banished them to their Motherland, Tamil Nadu in southern India,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  where 61 million of their brethren live.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Having failed to do what Canada did with the FLQ, the war lasted 27-years hemorrhaging the island and witnessed 100,000 massacred, bombed, blown to smithereens with claymore mines and die.

What else did Sri Lanka learn from this conflict?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  It does seem that Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s President Mahinda Rajapaksa learnt a lesson or two from CanadaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Prime Minister of the 70sƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, Pierre Elliot Trudeau.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Like Trudeau during the October 1970 crisis he too had the clarity of insight, and tough-mindedness and the moral authority that he marshaled and that ultimately lead to success in the fight to preserve Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s sovereignty by wiping out Tamil Tiger terrorism when everyone in the west, including you, said that he had embarked on an unwinnable war.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  But most of all he learnt from CanadaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Prime Minister Pierre TrudeauƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s personal arrogance: the profanity, the obscene gestures, the open contempt he showed for his opponents.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Like it or lump itƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦NobodiesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦F— offƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦Mange la merdeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, all of which entered TrudeauƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s lexicon of public political discourse.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  So thanks to Pierre Trudeau, Mahinda Rajapaksa gained the gumption to say ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…- F— offƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ to international busy bodies like ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ BritainƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s DavidƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Miliband, ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ George Brown, and Keith Vaz; FranceƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Bernard Kouchner,; NorwayƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Eric Solheim; UNƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Ban ki-Moon, Navi Pillai and Philip Alston; ICGƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Louise Arbour; AIsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ and HRWƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s CEOs; CanadaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Lawrence Cannon, Bob Rae, Jack Layton, Maria Minna, Judy Sgro, Jim Karygiannis, Derek Lee, Robert Oilphant and Albina Guaneiri; ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ South AfricaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Desmond Tutu and many other ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”busy-bodyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ internationals who ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ had the audacity to tell him how to run his country and tried to screw him at every international Human Rights and Monetary Fund palarver.

Geo-politics is not clean Rajapaksa knew and not played on a level playing field. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ That thousands ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  killings of innocent civilians in Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan from American and British bombs were explained as ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-collateral damageƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, but a Tamil death in Sri Lanka was always a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Human Rights violationƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ And you happen to be a member of that perverse international team, Bob.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  And you damn well know it, donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t you? And if you didnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t, let me tell you that ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-An island of mistrustƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ says so.

What else did Sri Lanka learn or not learn from this conflict?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  What President Rajapaksa did find out was the once friendly Commonwealth sister nation Canada, was no longer a friend of Sri Lanka.

That belief was stamped in him when the Canadian parliamentarians sat in the House Chambers on February 4, 2009 for an Emergency Debate on Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  That is when he found out that during this debate the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Liberal Terrible FiveƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, Derek Lee, Jim Karygiannis, Robert Oliphant, Judy Sgro and Albina Guanieri charged Sri Lankans of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-genocideƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ of the Tamils. That is when he found out that Albina Guaneiri charged Sri Lankan soldiers for raping Tamil women in longhouse welfare camps. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ That is when he found out that Jim Karygiannis like a Greek drunken sailor was flaying his arms in animation wanting the Harper government to have Sri Lanka kicked out of the Commonwealth. That was the day when he found out that all these Canadian parliamentarians were Tamil refugee friendly cuckoos andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  bloody liars, and treated Sri Lanka with scorn and as Pierre Trudeau would have done would tell them to ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-F— offƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I christened that debate as the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Canadian ParliamentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Tamil Tiger Blarney Gong ShowƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, and it was, and you were there as an actor and got up say your two cents worth how to run Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s business.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Remember?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  And I watched you, the Rhodes scholar on CPAC with disgust.

President Rajapaksa also learnt his lesson that Canada was no friend of Sri Lanka when CanadaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon had difficulty to acknowledge with a slap on his back and say ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Good for you MateƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ for wiping out terrorism in Sri Lanka when almost all Western political leaders cheered himƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦but not Canada.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  This was clear when reading the pathetic Press Release that came out of Lawrence CannonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s office after May 18, 2009.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  I wish Rajapaksa said as Pierre Trudeau would have said, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-F— offƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ to him.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

• ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-The stubbornness of the Sinhalese majority created the conditions for a turn to violence by the Tamil minority in 1970ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ you said.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  WellƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦reallyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦come again Bob!ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  What a load of cods-wallop.

So did you really mean that the majority Sinhalese should have given one-third of Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s real estate bordered by 60 percent of the coast line to these 12% (now 3.9%) Tamils on a platter?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Are you nuts Bob?

If the majority Sinhalese really showed ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-stubbornnessƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ as you say they did, then this bit of history did give them the right to show ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-stubbornessƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ as well as to be smart to out-smart these cunning Tamil separatists.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Here is the story which hopefully will change your mind set about us majority Sinhalese.

In the 1940s, this astonishing anti-democratic demand by the Tamil politicians would have provided the minority 10% Tamils the opportunity to control the majority Sinhalese (72%.) of the population.

On the eve of Independence (Feb. 1948) the All Ceylon Tamil Congress led by G.G.Ponnambalam put forward to the Soulbury Commission a scheme of representation in the proposed legislature of independent Ceylon which, with a macabre sense of humour, he dubbed as ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”balanced representationƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢.

The scheme was that, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-the island should be divided into 100 territorial constituencies for an assemblyƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  of 100 members, and that of these constituencies 50 should be demarcated to fill 50 General Seats, while the remaining 50 to be allocated to members of the minoritiesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ (vide Paragraph 254 of the Soulbury Report).ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  This is when the chasing lights were switched on in the minds of the smart and British-oppressed majority Sinhalese. Remember, by then the British had made the Tamils a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-privileged minorityƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, and the Sinhalese the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-the wronged majorityƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

It was only when the Soulbury Commissioners pointed out the obvious that, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-if 50 seats were assured to the minorities but the remainder left open to anyone to contest, the Sinhalese who had always been and still were the majority group, might by the loss of one or more of these seats be converted into a minority.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Do you now know why the Sinhalese according to you are still in the mode of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-stubbornnessƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  And why President Rajapaksa has borrowed two words from CanadaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s great Liberal Prime Minister Pierre Elliot TrudeauƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s political lexicon to tell people like you who preach anti-Sinhalese nonsense in books to ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-F— offƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

The cunning Tamil rat G.G. Ponnambalam then amended his proposal to one of 50 seats demarcated for the majority Sinhalese and 50 seats for the minorities.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  I hope you are following my thread Bob. The catch though, was that any one ethnic community should only have less than 50% of the seats in the Cabinet.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Translating this into numbers meant that Sinhalese, who made up 72% of the population, could only have four seats in a Cabinet of 10.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  This too was rejected by the Soulbury Commission.

All these anti-democratic and anti-Sinhalese racist shenanigans by the cunning Tamil political leadership placed a major strain on the ethnic harmony between the Sinhalese and Tamils.

So you see Bob, all this Tamil separatist crap started much before the July 1983 riots.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  It is time that you start weaning out your Tamil advisors, like those from the WTM and Canadian Tamil Congress and for a change listen to the Sinhalese members of SLUNA (Sri Lanka United National Association) who are right at your constituency door step in Toronto.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  You certainly can speak to me when you are in Ottawa.

You by now realized that the Tamils have a difficulty to accept that they are the minority and not the majority in Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  And if you ever come across a Tamil lobbyists who is a researcher at the University Windsor who during a discussion on TV felt that the 12% (now 3.9%) Tamils should have them represented in 50% of Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s national flag and not an orange colour strip.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Remind this whining Tamil joker that he is lucky that his community has some representation in the national flag of Sri Lanka as we Canadians have not given that honour to the Inuit, our minority community in the North, by incorporating their representation in the flag with a symbol of an Inuksuk, or a polar bear, or an ice-pack, or Northern lights, or a glazier.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Drum it to his thick skull that Tamils are the minority and the Sinhalese are the majority and to accept that reality.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  And you too should, by the way.

I am stymied when you say in your chapter: ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-He (Prabhakaran) could never become a Nelson Mandela or even Yasser Arafat.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  What! You must be joking!!ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  That twit, Jack Layton, or should I addressƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  him asƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Honourable Jack Layton, the leader of the NDP already compared this serial killer who perfected the art of suicide bombing with a suicide body pack and introduced women as suicide bombers, to Nelson Mandela in front of a 10,000 Pongu Thamil crowd of Tamils at Queens Park.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  That is how ugly, and unsavoury Canadian politicians are.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  That stupidity was an effort to take at least half of the Tamil voters away from your Liberal camp.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  You figure that one out Bob, as I have already figured out that you politicians are Sri Lanka bashers and slashers, all wanting to win a blood soaked Tamil vote.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Right?

• ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ You say in your Chapter, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Island of MistrustƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢. ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Sri Lanka has now fallen into a dangerous authoritarianism with the Rajapaksa brothers and their government fully in control.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Do I see a sense of rejection because these are the guys who brought peace to the country, by killing the Tamil Tiger movement militarily by killing their leaders while you people were trying to save their skin for them to fight another day by calling for a ceasefire in the final days of the war.

Own up, Bob, you guys in the Liberal party patted and fed these brutes with funds, letting their supporters collect two million dollars ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ a month to stuff the Tamil Tiger war chest to buy weapons to fight and win their separate, mono-ethnic Tamil state, Eelam.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  No wonder you are resentful towards the Rajapaksa brothers.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Do you know that they are worshipped by the locals for giving them back their right-to-life that was taken away by the Canadians, the Norwegian, the Britishers by letting the Tamil Diaspora extort funds from these countries Tamil people to continue their war.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  No wonder you are resentful.

No wonder you are resentful, as there hasnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t been a single explosion of a bomb for the past 18 months in that island after the military wiped out these buggers sunk waist deep in muddy waters of the Nandikathal lagoon.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Prior to that it was like Canada Day celebrations every day for the Tamil Tigers exploding bombs, claymore mines like fireworks over the parliament buildings on July 1^st. and watching innocent people getting killed and their bodies torn into pieces and flying in the air.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  I am surprised that you are resentful not seeing the positive aspect for giving the Sri Lankans a life of peace and hopefully to live happily ever after in every nook and corner of Sri Lanka.

But then, Bob, tell what is the difference is between the RajapaksaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s and the KennedyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s and the BushƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s and the GandhiƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s and the BellamaireƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s in Ottawa-Orleans and the GrandmaitreƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s in Ottawa-Vanier?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  They were all political Dynasties, werenƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t they? Did you say ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-BooƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ to them with scorn?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  I doubt you did.

Then you flay at the RajapaksaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s for politicizing the judiciary et etera.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Wow! Man.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ArenƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t we CanadiansƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ obnoxious and arrogant to believe that ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-We are Holier than ThouƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ when we preach to the developing countries.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Bob, I have watched you get up in parliament and challenge the Conservative government for packing the Judiciary benches in the Supreme, Federal and Appeal Courts of Canada with Conservative Party supporters who have donated substantial amounts of monies to their party funds.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Likewise I have watched the Conservatives going after you guys for packing the Judiciary benches with your cronies.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  MyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦My!… BobƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦.arenƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t you trying to cleanse us Canadians as squeaky clean when we are really not. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Just cut it, Bob, as it just doesnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t cut mustard with me.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  You are making us Canadians look like a bunch of ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Goody-two-Shoes when we donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t deserve it?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  PhewƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦!ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  What rubbish!

• ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ You say, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Sri Lanka was at war for half a century, and the end of the war has not reduced the demand for more money and more arms.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Bob, I am glad that you pointed it out. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

Do you know why Bob?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ HereƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s why! With countries like Canada letting the Tamil Diaspora rear the ugly head of the Tamil Tigers again to regroup and letting the Canadian soil to be used as a landing stage for these separatists to form the Transnational Eelam Government in Exile to collect funds, et cetera.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  So what the heck are you complaining about?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  DonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t you see it Bob.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Are you blind? Take your dark glasses off your face, for PeteƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s sake. The Sri Lankans will never forget that you Canadian Liberal politicians let the Tamil separatists in 1994 cut a cheque for seven-and-one-half- million dollars from a bank in Vancouver to buy explosive materials from a chemical factory in Ukraine, and use it to bring down the Central Bank Building in the Fort on January 31, 1996 ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ killing 114 and maiming for life another 1,400.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  So why shouldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t the Sri Lanka be ready to quell such insolence by Canadians as they cannot and will not trust us.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  So the demand for more money is to buy arms to guard their sovereign territory and coast from terrorists, mercenaries and foreign invaders and you name it. Even to question that was silly on your part.

That chapter ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ – An island of mistrust, of yours is almost making me sick to my stomach as it shows that you are a hypocrite par excellance, pretending to be a good man Bob Rae, when you are not.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Well, the only redeeming factor to all this is that you are a politician, and they normally talk from both sides of the mouth and will do anything to get a vote.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  And lot of people take you guys honesty with a pinch of salt and so do I laced with some degree of contempt.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I will tell you one thing Bob, you can be sure that my Mother Lanka wonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t stand at the edge of the Galleface Green and looking at the sea and lament:

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-My Bob Rae Shaftoe has gone to sea, with silver buckles on his knees, when he comes he will marry me, my pretty Bob Rae Shaftoe.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ But I will tell you one more thing Bob, even if my Mother Lanka has hots for you and gives you a visa to come and see her, I will dissuade her to marry you, as with that chapter in your book ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” An island ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  mistrust, you have proved to me that you are a hypocrite who is out to get her and thrash her unfairly not having talked of the good, and positive things that have happenedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ in her land since the end of terrorism.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  That is the difference between being honest and being dishonest as a human being.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Think about it Bob.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Good things that have happened to her, I said.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Take note Bob, and try to weave the positive things that have happened after the war ended on May 18, 2009, when you talk of Sri Lanka the next time.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ -ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Contrary to what was projected during the Emergency Debate on Sri Lanka (The Canadian ParliamentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Tamil Blarney Gong Show) in the Canadian parliament on Wednesday, February 4, 2009, the Sri Lankan Government soldiers rescued 300,000 Tamils who were held by the Tamil Tigers as a human shield.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  This was not only a liberation war it was also a humanitarian war.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ -ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Contrary to what was projected that rescued Tamils were put in interment camps, they were in make shift welfare camps and well looked after with medical facilities, temporary schools for children and fed thrice a day, and ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ looked after much better than our own native populations in the north, and much better than the poor blacks being looked after in the States.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ -ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Contrary to what was projected that there was genocide as charged during the debate by your colleagues, Jim Karygiannis, Dereak Lee, Judy Sgro, Robert Olipahant and Albina Guarneiri, which was a lie, the Sri Lankans prepared one million meals a day to feed these Tamils thrice a day and keep them alive.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  And 90% of people who prepared these meals were from the majority Sinhalese community whom the Tamils terrorized, killed and ethnically cleansed This was watching a humanitarian miracle at work.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ -ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Contrary to what your colleague Albina Guarneiri charged the Sri Lankan soldiers of raping the Tamil women in camps, that you have found out that it was a God damn lie as Hillary Clinton had to apologize to the Government of Sri Lanka and her soldiers for this same crass lie.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ -ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Contrary what you Liberals said that there was genocide and rape, the Sri Government made arrangements for a mass wedding ceremony to marry the Tamil men and women who had fallen in love and were partners during this Tamil Tiger ordeal. As a bonus the Government wedding presents did not have condoms nor birth control pills asking them to go and produce Tamil babies to fill their population gap created by Prabhakaran by having a full generation of young kids who were kidnapped and asked to fight an adult war and only to be mowed downƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  like poppies with flying live bullets during battle.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ -ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  While we Canadians have taken almost six months to process half of the 492 illegal migrant Tamils who entered Canada on Sun Sea, the Sri Lankan government processed 280,000 refugees out of the 300,000 in 18 months.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  And they have been sent back to their original homes having had them rebuilt and some being presented with brand new homes, seed money and utensils to start their lives.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  We were wrong to have painted a bleak picture about these welfare camp refugees.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  We were wrongƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦wrongƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦wrong.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  And no wonder why the Rajapaksa government asked us to fly a kite in the MajorƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Hill Park and go jump in the Ottawa River and under their breath borrowed two words from Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau and tell us to ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-FƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ offƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ -ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Life has picked up in the North and East of the island after having had a devastating effect during the 27-year war.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  After 18 months since the end of the Eelam war, Sri Lanka has been announced to be the most fast growing Asian economy after China.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  This is indeed amazing.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  This is indeed a miracle.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ -ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  What is particularly noteworthy of Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s growth is the narrowness of its gender gap in all communities which includes the Tamils.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  In the Global Gender Gap Report of 2010 published by the World Economic Forum, which measures gender-based disparities on economic, political , education and health-based criteria, Sri Lanka ranked within the top 20, the only South Asian country to do so.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Closing the gender gap is not just an issue of gender equity; it is also one of harnessing the current human resource potential, and uplifting the potential of the next generation.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  And that includes of the members of the Tamil community too.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  With all these positives thatƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s going on in Sri Lanka, ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ IƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  swear to you that I will not let you abuse my Mother Lanka by writing such drivel, ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ as she had nurtured me during my first 18 years of my life, and she was good to me and no one from your Liberal Party family of jokers will ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ abuse her, unfairly either.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  You can take my words on that and haveƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ them chiseled under a gargoyle in the parliament building as a reminder.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  So there you are Honourable Bob Rae.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Be generous towards Sri Lanka, as she deserves nothing less from you.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  And stop listening to your Tamil constituents.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  It has certainly put you into trouble with me.

Have a good day Bob.

Sincerely,

Asoka WeerasingheƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚