Tigers stop bus, threaten Ajantha

Oct. 14: SL’s cricketers, involved in the Canada Cup T-20 tournament in Toronto, Canada came under threats by a group of LTTE supporters after their game against the hosts at the Maple Leaf Stadium in Toronto.

On their way to the hotel, the team bus was blocked by LTTE activists causing panic among some players. Later, the bus proceeded after the mob dispersed.

The group abused the players while the play was on from the road adjacent to the Maple Leaf Stadium and Ajantha Mendis, Thilina Kandamby and Nuwan Kulasekara manning the boundary close to the road were targeted.

After the incident was reported, the Canadian police promised action against trouble makers and better protection in the future.

"We have informed Police and they have promised to take action," Nishantha Ranatunga, SL team manager said.

Earlier, the LTTE sympathisers had held banners protesting against Mendis, as he was a member of the SL Army.

Mendis, however only plays domestic cricket for the army and is not involved in military activities.

Toronto - With blue skies and temperatures reaching over 25 degrees on the ‘Thanksgiving’ weekend last day, Thousands of Canadian Tamils were seen standing out in the street of the King City cricket ground with placards peacefully handing out leaflets which clearly articulated the gruesome reality for Tamils in Sri Lanka while carrying many placards and chanting slogan against the Sri Lankan army gunner turned cricketer Ajantha Mendis and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The Twenty/20 cricket (T20 Canada 2008) tournament was organised by the Canadian Cricket Club this ‘Thanksgiving’ long weekend, at the Maple Creek Cricket Club, in the outskirts of Toronto between Canada, Pakistan, Zimbabwe and Sri Lankan teams.

The organisers, unable to find a local sponsor had to rely on a sponsor from Dubai to underwrite the expenses related to this tournament. The Pakistan team arrived 24 hours before their first match due to hassles in obtaining visas for some of their players.

The biggest story that brought hundreds of Tamil protesters to the ground was the easy entry into Canada of gunner Balapuwaduge Ajantha Winslow Mendis (S/158405) of the Sri Lanka artillery as part of the Sri Lankan team.

The fact to note is Gunner Mendis was handpicked by the present Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka who is conducting the current genocidal war in the Tamil homelands, for promotion to the rank of Sergeant. It is the same commander who warned the minorities of the Island not so long ago in an interview with AP that they should not expect equal rights since the country belongs to the Sinhala Buddhists.

Besides the governments around the world refuse visas for the members of the notorious Para-militaries and armed forces, who have been accused of heinous crimes against humanity?

The government of Canada through its embassy in Colombo routinely denies visas for elected Tamil members of parliament for the very reason they speak for the equal rights of the Tamil population. Most recently the Sinhala NSSP Leader Wikramabahu was denied visa, for the very fact that he approves the universally accepted ‘self determination’ for Tamils.

Hundreds of Tamil protesters gathered for last three days of the matches at the cricket grounds to protest the easy entry of a Sri Lankan army gunner into Canada and to bring to the attention of the cricket world that atrocities and human rights violations are part of the human dignity and would not be tolerated in countries like Canada where fundamental human rights are being legislated and practiced. Some of the Sri Lankan players made rude ‘middle finger’ gesture to the supporters of the Canadian team which played against them Sunday evening.

Canada, Tamils are visibly upsets over the serious plights of their brethrens gathered in thousands in front of the cricket venue to show solidarity and expose the plights of 230,000 internally displaced people including 30,000 children are being living with no or limited access to food, medicines, sanitary conditions and drinking water. Some Singhalese fans were looking for the trouble with protesting Tamils were kept away by the York Region Police officials.

3rd and final day of the match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan on the Final game thousands of Tamil Canadians flogged the streets in front of the cricket ground and chanted slogans such as ‘Sri Lanka Stop Genocides of Tamils’, ‘Sri Lanka Get off the Filed’, ‘Sri Lanka Play By the Rule’, ‘Sri Lankan President number one Terrorist’, ‘Sri Lankan state is a terrorist state’, ‘Sri Lanka Assassinates Elected Tamil MPs’, ‘Sri Lanka Assassinates Tamil Journalists’, ‘Sri Lanka stop killings Tamils’ and many other slogans along with placards showing the plights of Tamils in North and East of Sri Lankan in the hands of the Sri Lankan forces.

Over head, a plane carrying ‘Stop the Genocides in Sri Lanka’ circled the cricket stand area for more than two hours.

Canadian Tamils are hitting streets of Toronto to engage the Canadian public on the above Tamils’ plights as well as needs for the free Tamil Home land as the solution for the protracted conflict between Tamils and Singhalese for the past 60 years.

Source: www.tamileelamnews.com