Canadians among foreigners held as ‘combatants’ in Sri Lanka

September 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Holding up two fingers is an international symbol for two. But if the same sign is made in Germany or France, the count will become three.

September 6th, 2009 KATHMANDU - A Special Committee has been tasked with the responsibility of supervising, integrating and rehabilitating Maoist combatants and to bring them under its command. Its technical committee has been told to prepare a report on how this can be done.

July 5th, 2009 TORONTO - US President Barack Obama is more popular with Canadians than any domestic politician, a new poll has found. According to the Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey, nearly three-quarters of Canadians think that the U.S.

June 3rd, 2009 COLOMBO - Sri Lanka is reportedly hampering international relief efforts by forcing dozens of British and other foreign aid workers to leave the country because it considers them sympathetic to the defeated Tamil Tigers, The Times has learnt. Aid organizations say the policy is costing them tens of thousands of pounds of donors' money as they struggle to help 280,000 Tamil civilians in internment camps.

May 30th, 2009 TORONTO - Hundreds of Tamils protested at the Sri Lankan consulate here Friday against the attack on the Canadian high commission in Colombo earlier this week. Scores of Sri Lankan protesters had ransacked the Canadian mission Wednesday to protest against what they called Canadian "support" for Tamil Tigers.

May 23rd, 2009 TORONTO - More than 20,000 Canadian Tamils descended on the Ontario assembly here in black to mourn "innocent civilians killed in the genocide by Sri Lanka". In their speeches Friday, Tamil leaders vowed not to rest till "Tamil Eelam (homeland) is achieved".

May 20th, 2009 TORONTO - The Tamil diaspora in Canada has demanded the setting up of an international tribunal to try Sri Lankan leaders for 'war crimes against innocent civilians'. Addressing a press conference here Tuesday, Tamil leaders said Canada should back the demand by the European Union and the UN Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) for an international panel to investigate war crimes in the conflict.

May 17th, 2009 TORONTO - The war in Sri Lanka had its echo again here Saturday when the Sinhalese blamed an early morning fire at one of their temples on the local Tamil community. The incident has added to the already heightened tensions between the two ethnic groups, with the Sinhalese alleging threats against them in the past.

May 11th, 2009 TORONTO - Protesting against the civil war in their native Sri Lanka, many Tamil Canadians gathered to form a human chain at a downtown Toronto highway on Sunday evening, resulting in shutting down both lanes of the highway. They were holding a sit-down protest on the highway with many linking arms and chanting "No More Genocide," a reference to the military offensive of the Lankan army against the Tamil Tigers.

May 11th, 2009 KATHMANDU - Ambassadors from 16 countries, multinational donors and chief of the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) Karen Landgren have jointly called on acting Nepal Prime Minister Prachanda here today amid uncertainties over formation of new government and postponement of the Nepal Development Forum (NDF) meet. Envoys from United States, Germany, France, UK, Norway, China and India and representatives from World Bank, Asian Development Bank were among those that met Prachanda.

April 28th, 2009 TORONTO - Sri Lankan Tamils have warned of a civil war on the island nation if Colombo does not reciprocate to the Tigers' call for a ceasefire and called for strong action by the Canadian government. Sri Lankan Tamil here staged night-long protests in the heart of the city Monday and wrote a strongly worded letter to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

April 28th, 2009 TORONTO - Sri Lankan Tamils who staged night-long protests here Monday have warned of a civil war on the island nation if Colombo does not reciprocate to the Tigers' call for a ceasefire. In a strongly worded letter to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper Monday, the Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) said: 'Tamil Canadians are fearful that in the next 24 to 48 hours a civilian bloodbath will ensue if the government of Sri Lanka does not reciprocate the LTTE's (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) offer to a ceasefire.' Calling for immediate and strong action by the Canadian government, CTC president Sri Ranjan said in the letter, 'Canada must force the government of Sri Lanka to reciprocate the immediate ceasefire by cutting all diplomatic and economic relations with Sri Lanka.' The Tamil organisation also urged the Canadian parliamentarians to put pressure on the government to intervene in the conflict immediately.

April 24th, 2009 TORONTO - Hinduism is the most positively viewed religion after Christianity in Canada, where many believe that Islam promotes violence and so does Sikhism, says a survey by a premier magazine. According to the survey by Maclean's weekly, almost half of Canadians believe that Islam promotes violence.

April 24th, 2009 TORONTO - Canada may claim itself to be the most multicultural country in the world, but Canadians still harbour prejudices and racial stereotypes, says a survey by the nation's premier magazine. According to the survey by Maclean's weekly, almost half of Canadians believe that Islam promotes violence.

February 4th, 2009 TORONTO - Tamil Canadians observed Sri Lanka's Independence Day as a 'protest day' by holding candlelight vigils even as the nation's parliament held an emergency debate on the situation. In Toronto, the Tamils and their Canadian supporters held the candlelight vigil at the Sri Lankan consulate, demanding an end to the 'genocide' of civilians in the conflict zone of the island nation.