It was as if spring had sprung today in Toronto. After a cold but snow-less week, today was bright and warm with lots of sunshine and plus 10 degrees C.
There were also a lot of road blockages in the north-east part of the city where I live. These were caused by the Tamil Tiger processions of young Tamil Canadians. They had placards accusing the Sri Lanka government of genocide against the Tamil population in north-eastern Sri Lanka. I was left wondering how this was possible. The Tamil Tiger placards I mean. The LTTE is a banned organization in Canada. But I think the law has been subverted by showing Tigers on the placard rather than the words Tamil Tigers or LTTE. The Tamils have been politically active in Toronto unlike we Goans who have concentrated only on socials, dances and such like. They unfailingly campaign for the Liberal candidates at election time, vote en masse for them and reap the benefits when they are successful. The elected MPs then help them with all sorts of favors with regard to visit visas, refugee claims and matters dear to them. The Tamils are concentrated in Toronto. They are an enterprising lot, very hard working, very education oriented and give the Toronto Chinese community a run for their money. Many of them are in business, running restaurants and other small enterprises like printing, manufacturing, garages and what have you. In fact, most of the sous-chefs and even some chefs in Toronto's trendy eating houses and five star hotels are Sri Lankan Tamils. They start off as kitchen helpers, learn fast, work hard, coming on even weekends when they are needed and thus make themselves indispensable. They have even gone into the professions like law and medicine. It is difficult to analyze the events in Sri Lanka at the moment. The army is on the victorious path. They have captured and over-run Tiger strongholds, bases, cities and even jungles and the LTTE is now surrounded and occupying only a minuscule area of the north and north east that was once sacrosanct Tamil territory where the LTTE had its own administrations and revenue collection. No army unit dared enter there. Then the super-human Prabakaran slipped or as my Tamil friends tell me, the Indians, Israelis and the Americans conspired to support the Sri Lanka army and quash the rebellion for political purposes. There are two sides of the story of the civilian human suffering. The Sri Lankans say that the LTTE are using their civilians as human shields against the army offensive and therefore there are huge Tamil civilian casualties. The Tamils say their civilians are not willing to leave the war affected areas as they would rather depend on the retreating LTTE than the mercy of the army. They say that once the civilians come to Army captured areas, they are slaughtered in revenge for the years of resistance. To the outsider, savagery has been practised on both sides. What is sad is that the Tamils have achieved nothing after years of struggle, countless deaths of their young men and women, hardship and dispersal of much of the Tamil population throughout the globe. They were happy people once. Like Goans really. I sincerely hope that Canada which has offered a home to thousands of Tamils does not suffer a fall-out of the desperation now seizing the rebel cause. There has been a precedent. Years ago the Khalistanis in British Colombia were offered a free hand for their protests in Canada. The government even overlooked the funding that was channelized from BC to Punjab from the super-rich Sikh farmers and foresters. It resulted in the bombing of the Air India plane over the Irish coast that killed hundreds of Canadians of Indian origin. Since then 9/11 has changed a lot in the way governments see terrorist groups, but what better alternative for the Tamils than to stage a spectacular event that will highlight their cause even in a negative manner. Only time will tell. While we hope that saner elements prevail. -- Roland Francis http://roland-torontogoan.blogspot.com +1 (416) 453.3371
