‘Go back to Colombo’ Brampton mayor tells Tamil genocide deniers
Brampton Mayor Patrick has defended the creation of a Tamil genocide memorial, telling those who deny that ethnic cleansing took place in Sri Lanka will be ignored.
“Genocide deniers, you are not welcome in Brampton, you are not welcome in Canada. Go back to Colombo (the capital of Sri Lanka),” Brampton told the crowd at the memorial unveiling this past weekend.
The creation of the memorial has been at the centre of controversy since the project was conceived, as divisive ethnic conflicts in the South Asian nation have overflowed into communities around the world, including Brampton.
At issue is the interpretation of what has transpired between the ethnic Tamil population and the Sri Lankan government, backed by the majority Sinhala population.
The United Nations says up to 100,000 Tamils have been killed by rivals since the 1950s, forcing up to one million people to flee their homeland. The Sri Lankan government has denied that this has happened.
Brown told his audience that completing the memorial was a personal mission for him since he first became aware of the violence and cultural elimination that Tamils had to endure.
He explained how, in 2009, a Tamil refugee told him how her family and friends were being killed.
“In her tears I saw truth,” said Brown, adding that as he learned more, he became committed to the Tamil cause.
Brown went on to say that once the monument plans were revealed, Brampton faced opposition from Sri Lankan government officials and protestors who have accused local politicians of pandering to the Canadian Tamil community.
He said that despite the foreign interference, history cannot be ignored or forgotten.
“The Sri Lankan government has engaged in misinformation, tried to disparage and attack Tamils who were speaking up for the truth,” he said. “But we know the truth, and the result is this memorial that we see today.”
With the completion of the memorial, the National Council of Canadian Tamils will take over ownership, with the city’s 12,000 Tamil residents being responsible for its care and maintenance.
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