Our report on the Toronto pro-LTTE march attacked

In the propaganda wilds of the LTTE, truth is always a casualty

By Siva Sunderam and Anita Joseph

(March 24, Toronto, Sri Lanka Guardian) In connection with our feature, “Pro-LTTE Tamil university students advocate terrorism,” we have received a communication from Sujeev Devar demanding we publish correct information about this writer. We will certainly oblige. The pertinent information sent to us by Sujeev Devar was as follows:

“First of all, I did not graduate from any university. In addition, I am not an activist either. On the contrary, I am early 30's Tamil Canadian male, with hardworking ethic and very quiet personality.”

In respect of the above, we picked up the following comment from The National Post signed by Sujeev Devaraj and made reference to it in our feature:

“Tamil Canadians cannot be silent spectators to the ongoing genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka. It is high time that all Canadians of good conscience begin to understand what is going on, and I strongly believe my fellow Canadians should do their part to bring the genocide to a full stop.

“Canadians made a significant contribution to ending injustices in South Africa in the 1980s and in Kosovo in the 1990s. Now it is time to make a difference in Sri Lanka by demanding an end to the callous and wanton killing of Tamils by the Sri Lankan government.”

All what we said about Sujeev Devar was: “An undergraduate and also a march activist, Sujeev Devaraj stated that now is the time to make a difference in Sri Lanka by demanding an end to the callous and wanton killing of Tamils by the Sri Lankan government.”

In response, Sujeev Devar wrote to us as follows:

“I am writing this letter to inform you that in the above mentioned article written by two copy cat journalists, Anita Joseph and Siva Sunderam, there were many incorrect and false information about me.

First of all, I did not graduate from any university. In addition, I am not an activist either.

On the contrary, I am early 30's Tamil Canadian male, with hardworking ethic and very quiet personality. Thus, it is amazing how a few copy cat journalists can transform a normal person over night in to an educated leader of a community. It seems the copy cat journalists who wrote the above article in your web news portal did not care or did not know how to verify the sources. In either case, it is a shoddy piece of journalism.

Secondly, I was at the protest on March 16, 2009 in Toronto. I was approached by well known local TV and Radio stations as to why Tamils in Canada are waving the Tamil Tiger flags and what is the need for the protest. I simply told them the truth as to Sri Lankan government under the guise of war on terror, systemically targeting and killing the Tamil civilians in the so called safe zone of Northern Sri Lanka. Also, I added that Tamil Tigers are freedom fighters as I believe and feel in my heart and that 99 % Tamils believe they are the true representatives of Tamil people.

So, my question is to you is why your web news portal does not write the truth? Subsequently, I can tell you that it is completely unprofessional for your web news portal to let false news to be posted without checking the verification and reliability of the sources. Any tom and dick and idiots, like the two copy cat journalists, can write any thing they want, but it cannot stop the truth being reported as it is.

Therefore, I am of the believe that when an event happens in Toronto, make sure to send a professional journalist to that event as to see and hear what the people in general are saying rather than copy cat everything from the local media sources and then adding some sweet & sour in the mix.
Finally, I immediately want the false description about me in the article to be changed and corrected with the information that I provided above. Also, the article has more incorrect and outrageously false information that you may want to look into before continuing to be posted in your web news portal. I truly hope that you will do the right thing.
Sincerely, Sujeev Devar

In response to his letter, while ignoring all his choice twists, turns and contortions about not being an activist despite participating in the March 16 LTTE demonstration, let us quote one paragraph from his letter only.

“Secondly, I was at the protest on March 16, 2009 in Toronto. I was approached by well known local TV and Radio stations as to why Tamils in Canada are waving the Tamil Tiger flags and what is the need for the protest. I simply told them the truth as to Sri Lankan government under the guise of war on terror, systemically targeting and killing the Tamil civilians in the so called safe zone of Northern Sri Lanka. Also, I added that Tamil Tigers are freedom fighters as I believe and feel in my heart and that 99 % Tamils believe they are the true representatives of Tamil people.”

This one paragraph gives the lie to the utter falsehood that these pro-LTTE demonstrators are trying to foist on the public. The truth is that hundreds of Tamil civilians are being helped to escape under dangerous conditions from the grip of the so-called freedom fighters, the Tamil Tigers by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces.

Our journalist colleagues are working 24-hours on the war front and we get the correct picture that we are under obligation to let the world know of the ruthless terrorism that has systematically devastated the Tamil people.

In such a situation the gender of a certain person who says he is not an activist while actively participating to give a false picture of the truth is hardly a matter to be concerned at this moment He also goes to the audacious extent of claiming 99% of the Tamils believe that the Tamil Tigers are their true representatives. On what basis has Sujeev Devar arrived at such an obtuse and dim-witted conclusion?

Furthermore, the March 19 demonstration in which Sujeev Devar took an active part even to the extent of reacting to a National Post feature, the slogans that were shouted were all directed towards saving the LTTE now at the threshold of extinction and none in support of demanding from the LTTE to let the thousands held as human shields go free.

Even the use of flags, posters and handouts at the demonstration was arrogantly in defiance of the Government of Canada having given an impression that it was lawful to carry all kinds of flags and other materials of a banned organization.

-Sri Lanka Guardian