http://www.euthayan.com/UY/UY/2009/05/05/index.shtmlCanada's International Co-operation Minister Beverley Oda pledged this aid package after the meeting with Sri Lanka Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama.
The money will help the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders provide food, medicine and shelter for internally displaced people in the North.
During the meeting, Sri Lanka rejected the Canadian call for a ceasefire with the Tiger rebels.
“One often hears, for example, that ''one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter”
Tamil protesters plan human chain in Toronto
Tens of thousands are expected to participate to urge Ottawa to press for a ceasefire in Sri Lanka
Days after police dispersed their blockade of University Avenue, Tamil protesters are organizing a human chain that will wind its way through downtown Toronto this afternoon.
The protesters have pledged not to block the roadways, and a police spokesperson said that only minimal delays to downtown traffic are expected.
The chain will be the third this year, and the first since thousands of Tamil protesters clogged the streets outside the U.S. consulate for nearly five days, stopping traffic along University Avenue.
"They made their point last week with the five-day demonstration, which tied up traffic in the downtown area, and I think they need to think about overdoing the demonstration business," said councillor Case Ootes (Ward 29, Toronto-Danforth). "But as long as it doesn't interfere with others and the rights of others, then fine."
Organizers are expecting tens of thousands of people to participate in the chain, which will begin at Union Station and stretch north along Yonge Street.
"The people will be coming out in large numbers believing that the Canadian government will take action," said Senthan Nada, a spokesperson for the Coalition to Stop the War in Sri Lanka.
Two human chains formed in January and March to protest against the civil war in Sri Lanka disrupted traffic periodically. The protest in January drew more than 40,000 people, and the sheer size of the crowd required that parts of Front Street be closed.
Since 1983, a civil war between the separatist Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan army has claimed 70,000 lives. Violence in the country escalated recently, and the UN has estimated that 6,500 people have been killed in the fighting since late January.
The human chains and blockade outside the U.S. consulate have aimed to draw attention to the escalating conflict and to encourage Canadian and U.S. leaders to press the government of Sri Lanka to stop the fighting.
Yesterday, the Sri Lankan government rebuffed Canada's calls for a ceasefire and appeared set to press ahead with its military offensive to wipe out the Tamil Tigers, giving no sign in meetings with Canada's International Cooperation Minister, Bev Oda, that it will pause the fight.
Ms. Oda met with Sri Lanka's President and Foreign Affairs minister yesterday in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo, calling for a ceasefire and "full and unhindered" access for aid workers to the tiny "no-fire" zone, where 50,000 civilians are trapped alongside Tiger rebels.
But she emerged believing that Sri Lanka's government fully intends to ignore the world's appeals and try to defeat the Tigers decisively.
"They listened to it politely. They weren't willing to comment on the ceasefire request," she told Canadian reporters in a conference call.
Mr. Nada said Canadian Tamils are grateful for Ms. Oda's efforts, but that more needs to be done.
"It's really hard for Tamils to digest the fact that Canada hasn't taken a strong stance toward bringing an end to this war, and Canada hasn't addressed the Canadian Tamil citizens' grievances," he said. Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090505.TAMILS05OTTART2227/TPStory /National
ரொறன்ரோவில் இன்று நடைபெறவிருந்த அடங்காப்பற்று நிகழ்வு ஒத்திவைப்புகனடாவின் ரொறன்ரோ நகரில் இன்று நடைபெறவிருந்த 'அடங்காப்பற்று' நிகழ்வும் மனிதச் சங்கிலிப் போராட்டமும் ஒத்திவைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளதாக ஏற்பாட்டாளர்கள் அறிவித்திருக்கின்றனர்.
இது தொடர்பாக கனடியத் தமிழ் மாணவர்களும் கனடியத் தமிழர் சமூகமும் தெரிவித்திருப்பதாவது:
பல தரப்பினரது அவசர வேண்டுகோள்களுக்கு இணங்க ரொறன்ரோவின் நகரின் மத்தியில் இன்று செவ்வாய்க்கிழமை (05.05.09) நடைபெறவிருந்த 'அடங்காப்பற்று' மற்றும் மனிதச்சங்கிலி - 3 ஆகிய நிகழ்வுகள் தற்காலிகமாக பின்போடப்படுகின்றது.
அதேவேளையில் ஒன்ராறியோ மாநில நாடாளுமன்றம், குயின்ஸ் பார்க் முன்றலில் நடைபெறும் உண்ணாநிலைப் போராட்டம் உறுதியுடன் பாரிய அளவில் தொடர்ந்து முன்னெடுக்கப்படுகின்றது.
எமது தாயக அவலம் தீர்க்கும் வரை என்றும் அடங்காது எமது 'அடங்காப்பற்று'.
'அடங்காப்பற்று' மற்றும் மனிதச்சங்கிலி - 3 ஆகிய நிகழ்வுகளின் மேலதிக விபரங்களை விரைவில் அறியத்தரப்படும்.
இந்த அவசர அறிவித்தலை உடன் எமது தமிழ் உறவுகளுடன் பகிர்ந்து கொள்ளுமாறு அனைவரும் வேண்டப்படுகின்றனர்.
உறுதியும், ஓர்மமும் கொண்ட ஒற்றுமைப்பட்ட சமூகமாக எமது தாயக அவலம் தீரும்வரை தொடர்ந்தும் முன்னெறுவோம் என அதில் தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டிருக்கின்றது.
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