The Militant(logo) 
    Vol.62/No.6           February 16, 1998 
 
 
Tamil Activist Fights Deportation In Toronto  

BY GUY TREMBLAY
TORONTO - Hundreds of Tamils rallied the week of January 12 outside Toronto's Don Jail here to protest the Canadian government's efforts to deport Manickavasagam Suresh to Sri Lanka. The actions succeeded in delaying the deportation, which was scheduled for January 19.

Suresh was arrested on Oct. 18, 1995, on the basis of a national security certificate issued against him under the Immigration Act. At the time he was the coordinator of the World Tamil Movement, a group that supports the Tamil struggle for independence from Sri Lanka and provides assistance to Tamil immigrants and refugees in Canada. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) claims there are grounds to believe that Suresh is a member of an organization engaging in "terrorism," the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Despite the fact that there are no allegations against Suresh of criminal activity, in Canada or Sri Lanka, Suresh has been detained ever since. He contracted tuberculosis in jail, in part due to being handcuffed naked in his cell. Suresh's support for Tamil people of Sri Lanka to self-determination and support to the LTTE through lawful activities like fund-raising and publicity are the only evidence the government is using.

After Immigration Minister Lucienne Robillard gave her approval for his deportation to Sri Lanka, Barbara Jackman, Suresh's lawyer explained, "The human rights record in Sri Lanka for persons suspected of being members of the LTTE is that people get killed. Sending him back is going to put his life at risk." The government is threatening deportation despite the fact that Suresh, who has lived in Canada since 1990, was recognized as a United Nations Convention refugee by the Refugee Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board in April 1991.

There are about 200,000 Tamils in Canada, of whom 150,000 are in the Toronto area. Some have been active in the Suresh Defense Campaign, including a rally of 5,000 people took place on Oct. 18, 1997 in front of Don Jail.

An action has been scheduled for February 1 to protest human rights violations in Sri Lanka including the denial of the Tamil people to self-determination. For more information contact: Federation of Associations of Canadian Tamils, call: (416) 463-7647 or (416) 461-5991.  
 
 
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