Ira de Silva London, Canada

The Letters Editor
Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa, Ontario.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Dear Sir:

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Re: Canada’s Refugee Challenge

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The challenge to Canada’s self-image from what you call a “ship full of desperate migrants” is not it’s dedication to compassion, tolerance and justice but a challenge to Canada’s lax immigration laws and system of justice. The message it has sent to the Tamils via the statements of the members of the opposition parties, both in and out of parliament, is that anyone is welcome into Canada regardless of whether they are terrorists, murderers, convicted criminals or those seeking better economic opportunities and just using the system. The word has gone out that Canada is a place to where anyone can arrive, say the magic word “refugee” and gain admittance, be paid to stay here with lawyers provided by the state to argue their bogus claims and then allow them to take frequent trips to Sri Lanka for personal reasons. This is not an image of “compassion and tolerance” but of weakness and ignorance. You state “the last thing Canada wants to do is earn a reputation as the destination of choice for human smugglers”. The problem is that Canada has already got this reputation and comments such as those expressed in your editorial reinforce this opinion. To human smugglers it is an invitation, not a deterrent.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ These “desperate migrants” it is said have paid around $45,000 for their passage, a large amount of money in Sri Lanka and even in Canada. Ordinary Sri Lankans do not have that amount of money so the question is who paid for their passage, when and why. They could be some of the ten thousand LTTE fighters who are in Sri Lanka after the elimination of the hierarchy of the LTTE. It is necessary to point out that it was only the leadership of the LTTE that was eliminated in May. The terrorists in their thousands are still alive and well in Sri Lanka and trying to get out before they are identified from within and outside the camps for the displaced. Further, there is a news report today that this ship originated in India. If correct, why should these Tamils come here from India? The homeland of Tamils is Tamil Nadu, India where they should be quite happy amongst their brethren unless they are LTTE fighters. If not, they are economic refugees taking advantage of Canada’s lax immigration policies.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The fact that the Canadian Tamil Congress is front and centre to aid them to get into Canada raises the possibility that the millions of dollars held by the front organizations of the LTTE are now being used to smuggle people all over the world. The policies of the Liberal and New Democrat politicians have been to bring in as many Tamils as possible to inflate their vote banks. The LTTE front organizations and the opposition parties in parliament would be only too happy to have 76 more to demonstrate on the streets all paid for by the Canadian tax payer and fully supported by the media who like to think that they are showing compassion and tolerance rather than ignorance and weakness and ask the question “does it matter how they got here”. For ordinary Canadians who were subjected to the lawlessness of the Tamils in Canada just a few months ago by demonstrations to support a terrorist organization in Sri Lanka, which cost tax payers thousands of dollars that could have been spent to help Canadians at a time of economic downturn, it does matter.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Yours truly,

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Ira de Silva