Fire at Buddhist temple in Scarborough

It's important not to jump to conclusions; however, given the tensions surrounding the situation in Sri Lanka, this story is worth noting.

From the Toronto Star (Scarborough fire related to Sri Lankan conflict, monk says by Madeleine White, May 16, 2009):

A Buddhist monk believes a suspected arson at a temple in Scarborough is related to the ongoing conflict in Sri Lanka.

The fire sent three monks running for safety from the building on Kingston Rd. just south of Military Trail Rd., at about 4:30 a.m. after its east emergency entrance was found burning. Police and the Ontario Fire Marshal's Office are investigating.

Nalaka, a resident monk, said he believes the incident is connected to the war in Sri Lanka. He also said the monks have been threatened in the last week.

The incident has caused upset across Toronto's Sinhalese community

Read the whole article.

See also:
If you support the Tamil Tigers, you support an evil cause

If you support the Tamil Tigers, you support an evil cause

Tiger flags on University Ave. Click to enlarge
On Monday I wrote a message in which I said "The Tamil cause is evil." A neighbour of mine whose ancestry is Tamil, but who doesn't support the Tigers, objected. Perhaps my first message wasn't clear, so let me try again.

The Tamil protesters who have been blocking traffic in Toronto claim the moral high ground. They say they have the right to disrupt the lives of other Torontonians because they are trying to draw attention to a "genocide" in Sri Lanka. Our civic leaders have responded by giving protesters the benefit of the doubt. Dalton McGuinty, for example, called on Torontonians to have patience because the demonstrators are worried about relatives in Sri Lanka.

I'm saying the demonstrators don't deserve the benefit of the doubt. While I accept that the protesters are concerned about people dying, I note they also support the Tamil Tigers - a group that Canada has officially declared a terrorist organization. And Canada is far from alone. Thirty-one other countries have banned the Tigers.

While the Sri Lankan government has a bad human rights record, the Tigers have a long history of deliberately killing non-combatants as part of a campaign of terror. They are terrorists not because they have an army, but because they go out of their way to murder civilians. They have a history of bombing public places that are not military targets. That's terrorism and it's evil.

Many people have remarked on the fact that the protesters in Toronto have been flying red flags with a Tiger emblem. They say the protesters are carrying terrorist flags. Tamil spokesmen deny this. They say the flag they carry symbolizes Tamil Eelam (an independent Tamil state) and not the Tigers. This is disingenuous at best. An outright lie at worst.

First, it's hard to believe that a flag with a roaring tiger surrounded by a halo of bullets does not symbolize the Tiger terrorist group. Are we to accept as a coincidence the fact the two flags are virtually identical? (The official Tiger flag also has the name Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam emblazoned below the Tiger symbol.)

Secondly and more importantly, the protesters are chanting "Tamil Tigers Freedom Fighters" and "Our glorious leader Prabhakaran." Velupillai Prabhakaran leads the Tigers. It's not just a few protesters chanting either. The organizers of the rallies are leading the people in these chants. These demonstrations which Torontonians are being asked to tolerate in the name of "human rights' are an open show support for a terrorist group. If you support a terrorist organization, you support an evil cause.

Do all Tamils in Toronto support the Tigers? No. Are Tamil civilians dying in the war zone? Yes, they are. But who is responsible? I am not there, but there are reports that the civilians are being held hostage by the Tigers who shoot people who try to flee. The protesters ask Canadians to take on faith that their concerns are humanitarian. However, their support for an outlawed terrorist organization calls that claim into question.

I repeat what I said in my previous message. It's not enough for civic leaders to tell the protesters to stop blocking the road. They should also condemn the protests for what they represent. I am not saying the authorities should ban lawful protest, (i.e. protest that doesn't block roads and highways) but politicians should stop showing so much understanding. Instead of rewarding, the protesters our leaders should say, if you support the Tamil Tigers you are showing contempt for Canada's civic values. You are spitting in the eye of the country that granted you (or your parents) refuge.

The Tamil cause is evil

Portrait of terrorist leader Vellupilai Prabhakaran carried by Tamil protesters on University Avenue

[Update: It's been suggested this post needs a better headline. Fine. Here it is: If you support the Tamil Tigers, you support an evil cause]

[Update: The National Post's Jonathan Kay has an article describing how the Tamil Tigers murdered a moderate Tamil politician by the name of Neelan Tiruchelvam. Read it here.]

I'm too busy to post as much as I would like about the Tamil protests that first blocked University Avenue and more recently the Gardiner expressway. However, I would like to make a short comment.

I hear a lot of people saying they sympathize with the Tamil protesters but they object to the methods used. I hear civic leaders saying blockading roads and highways is counterproductive. That may well be, but the methods used by the protesters aren't the only problem. The Tamil cause itself is evil.

I work downtown and every day I go by the protesters who were on University and are now at Queen's Park. I've heard the organizers lead people in chants of "Tamil Tigers Freedom Fighters" and "Our Glorious Leader Prabhakaran." I've seen the terrorist flags the protesters are waving and as well as the portraits of Velupillai Prabhakaran.

These are demonstrations in favour of terrorism and they should be unequivocably condemned even if the protesters were law-abiding, which they are not.