Genocide allegation: Sri Lanka locks horns with Canada once again

By Kelum Bandara

Sri Lanka, once again, protested with the Canadian authorities over the plan to construct a ‘Tamil genocide monument’ in the area called Brampton in Canada, Daily Mirror learns.  

Sri Lankan Consul General of Sri Lanka in Toronto Thushara Rodrigo has written to Brampton mayor Patrick Brown registering Sri Lanka’s protest.   
Sri Lanka has locked horns with Canada on multiple occasions over purported genocide allegations.  The Lankan government , in May, hit out at Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for engaging in what is called ‘electoral vote bank politics by making an “outrageous allegation” of “genocide” during the island nation’s brutal armed conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) that ended in 2009. Trudeau, in a statement, noted that Canada’s Parliament unanimously voted to recognise May 18 as ‘Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day’.  
“We will always advocate for justice and accountability for the crimes committed during the conflict, as well as for the hardships faced by all in Sri Lanka. In 2023, we imposed sanctions against four former Sri Lankan government officials in response to their violations of human rights in the country during the armed conflict,” Trudeau said in a statement.  
However, his statement runs counter to the Federal policy of Canada, which says allegations against Sri Lanka during the war time do not amount to genocide.