The Advisor to Ministry of Hindu Affairs, Dr. K. Wigneshwaran, accused the Tamil Student Association and other Tamil groups in Canada organising the Pongu-Thamil rally of glorifying terrorism and engaging in fundraising for LTTE. “Funds raised at Pongu-Thamil festivals held around the world are being used to kill not only Sinhala and Muslims but also Tamils in Sri Lanka,” he pointed out, referring to the recent killing of a senior member of the pro-government Tamil party EPDP.
“They don’t know the real situation in Sri Lanka,” he said, challenging the Tamil groups in Canada to come and spend a day in Wanni. “ What they should be doing is helping the country reach a political solution and to develop the economy and infrastructure in North And East,” Dr. Wigneshwaran said.
Spokesman for National Bikkhu Conference (NBC), Galagodatte Knanasara Thera, said that the NBC and National Movement Against Terrorism (NMAT) would seek to stage their protest through stronger means, such as a Fast-unto-death campaign, against the pro-LTTE activities of the Canadian and Norway governments. “We have already requested the Norway embassy and the Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission (SLMM) to state their stand on the continuous killings committed by LTTE,” Thera said, adding that Sanga Sammelanaya and NMAT would launch a mass scale agitation programme if a suitable reply was not forthcoming.
In Toronto, the LTTE planned to raise nearly $200,000 at the event but has now changed its stance by proposing that Tamil community groups raise funds independently and “donate” them at the festival to evade restrictions on the sale of pro- LTTE material.
