VZCZCXRO9265
PP RUEHGA RUEHHA RUEHMT RUEHQU RUEHVC
DE RUEHON #0052/01 0721917
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 131917Z MAR 09
FM AMCONSUL TORONTO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2760
INFO RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 0015
RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO 0024
RUCNFB/FBI WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TORONTO 000052 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CAN, SCA/INS, S/CT 
HOMELAND SECURITY CENTER WASHDC 
DHS PASS TO CBP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PTER PHUM CE CA
SUBJECT: Toronto Tamils Turning Tiger? 
 
REF: 08 Toronto 169 
 
Sensitive But Unclassified -- protect accordingly. 
 
¶1. (U) Summary: Canada is home to the largest Tamil population 
outside Sri Lanka.  Sri Lanka's domestic issues recently have been 
taking a more public stage in Canada, particularly in Toronto.  Post 
has seen four large pro-Tamil demonstrations in downtown Toronto and 
in front of the Sri Lankan and U.S. Consulates in the past two 
months, and another major one is expected on Monday, March 16. 
While concerns about Canadian Tamil community support of the 
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) existed well before the 
GoC's banning of the group in 2006, recent events indicate an 
emboldening of LTTE supporters.  The Toronto protests, while 
peaceful, have a clear pro-Tamil agenda and pro-LTTE flavor.  End 
Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) Canada is home to the largest Tamil population outside Sri 
Lanka, and in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Sri Lankan Tamils have 
been among the fastest growing minority groups over the past 25 
years.  As a result of clashes in Sri Lanka in 1983 a large number 
of Tamils immigrated to Canada, and from 1991-2001 Sri Lanka was the 
fifth largest source country of Canada's immigrants.  As many as 
45,000 Tamils arrived in Canada just between 1991 and 1996. 
According to the Canadian Tamils' Chamber of Commerce (CTCC), which 
has created its own Tamil community database based on Canadian 
census information, more than 250,000 Tamils currently reside in 
Canada, with some 200,000 living in the GTA.  They have established 
a growing presence in business and academia, as well as in the 
political and social arenas.  The Tamil business community also has 
grown - with more than 2,000 Tamil-owned businesses in the GTA. 
 
¶3. (U) Conversely, Sinhalese Sri Lankans have immigrated to Canada 
in much smaller numbers, with only about 30,000 Sinhalese living in 
Canada.  There have been some efforts by community organizations to 
bring the two groups together.  In 2008, for example, the Sinhalese 
and Tamil communities celebrated the Sri Lankan New Year together in 
an event organized by the Canadian Democratic Tamil Cultural 
Association.  The organization's mandate is to promote understanding 
between the Tamil community in Ontario, other Sri Lankan 
communities, and the Canadian mainstream. 
 
-------------------------------- 
FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR THE TIGERS 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (U) In June 2008, Canada added the now defunct World Tamil 
Movement (WTM) - previously headquartered in Toronto - to its list 
of terrorist groups.  Canada had designated the LTTE as a terrorist 
group in 2006, and GoC investigations of the WTM beginning in 2003 
found that the WTM was the leading LTTE front organization. 
Investigations showed that the organization transferred millions of 
dollars to bank accounts abroad for LTTE operations.  The WTM used 
intimidation and threats to collect these funds from the Canadian 
Tamil community.  The Canadian government's listing of the group as 
a terrorist organization made it illegal to knowingly participate 
in, contribute to, or facilitate the activities of the WTM.  For its 
part, the WTM claimed that it only engaged in community service 
programs for the Tamil community in Canada and has denied its 
support for the LTTE.  Immediately after its offices in Toronto and 
Montreal were shut down in response to their designation, the WTM 
and its lawyers said they would fight the government's designation. 
In March, federal prosecutors in Montreal and Toronto filed requests 
at the federal level to confiscate the group's property.  This marks 
the first time the government has used the forfeiture provision of 
the Anti-Terrorism Act, which allows the Attorney General to seize 
"property owned or controlled by or on behalf of a terrorist group." 
 Only the Montreal branch of the WTM has publicly responded to the 
government's latest actions, stating that they deny any affiliation 
with terrorism and that they intend to challenge the government's 
case. 
 
------------------ 
PRO-TIGER PROTESTS 
------------------ 
 
¶5. (U) Tamil community leaders regularly call on the Canadian and 
U.S. governments to intervene in the "genocide" in Sri Lanka.  A 
series of demonstrations have been held throughout Toronto, 
beginning in January.  Thousands of Tamil demonstrators gathered to 
condemn Sri Lankan government actions, with groups of roughly 1,000 
gathered at each protest.  The most recent protest in front of the 
U.S. Consulate on March 3, saw more than 1,000 protestors, some 
waving the red Tamil Eelam flag, also often associated with the 
 
TORONTO 00000052  002 OF 002 
 
 
LTTE.  The white LTTE flag was not flown at the rally, most likely 
to reduce the level of scrutiny from local authorities.  All these 
protests included a large proportion of school-aged children (and 
younger) and were peaceful.  On March 13, a small demonstration held 
in northern Toronto saw a few protestors arrested for climbing on 
vehicles, however, no acts of violence were reported.  Post has now 
learned of another large protest planned for March 16, and we 
anticipate more in coming weeks. 
 
 
¶6. (U) The U.S. and Canadian Tamil communities also coordinated a 
pro-Tamil protest in front of the White House on February 20. 
Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) President Dr. Sri Ranjan told PolOff 
that the CTC had been contacted by Tamil organizers in the United 
States to inform them of the event and to encourage Canadian Tamil 
participation.  Post understands that nearly 3,500 people rode 
chartered buses from Canada, mostly from the GTA, to attend the 
demonstration in front of the White House.  The National Park 
Service reports that 2,000 to 3,000 protestors attended the peaceful 
demonstrations in front of the White House.  (Note: The Toronto 
press has reported that the Tamil travelers say they faced no 
significant delays at the U.S. border, but complained that they 
faced up to seven hour delays in being admitted back into Canada 
when they returned.) 
 
¶7. (U) On March 2, a group calling themselves the Canadian Tamil 
Society (CTS) organized a memorial ceremony in honor of two Tamil 
Tiger suicide bombers who died in an attack in the Sri Lankan 
capital on February 20.  A local banquet hall was used for the 
"martyrs' prayer event."  Attendees, who wore Tamil Tigers insignia 
and raised LTTE flags, laid wreaths at make-shift shrines for the 
terrorists.  Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Toronto police did 
not stop the event but recorded the gathering. 
 
---------------------------------- 
SOME OFFER MORE THAN MORAL SUPPORT 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) Cross border Tamil cooperation clearly also takes a more 
sinister tack in some cases.  On January 26, Canadian citizen 
Sathajhan Sarachandran pled guilty in New York to charges that he 
attempted to purchase surface to air missiles and hundreds of 
military assault rifles for the LTTE.  Sarachandran's case was the 
product of a cross-border investigation conducted by the FBI joint 
terrorism Task Force and the RCMP's Integrated National Security 
Enforcement Team in Ontario.  Three other men connected to the case 
have been arrested in Ontario and are fighting extradition to the 
U.S. 
 
¶9. (U) Some newspapers reported that Sarachandran was a member of 
the CTC.  CTC president Ranjan told PolOff that Sarachandran 
belonged to the CTC years ago, but said that he has not been a 
member since.  Ranjan argued that his organization could not be held 
accountable for the actions of its individual members, but that 
according to the CTC's charter a member can be asked to leave the 
organization if found to be participating in unlawful activities. 
Ranjan said, however, that since Sarachandran is not a current 
member, there was no need to ask him to leave.  He added that the 
CTC does not participate in criminal activities and fully supports 
the laws of Canada. 
 
¶10. (U) Comment: Pro-Tamil demonstrations in Toronto have been 
generally peaceful, with partial exceptions being the arrests today, 
March 13, and the rushing of the Sri Lankan Consulate by 20 
protesters in January.  Consulate officials called local authorities 
to remove the protestors and no one was hurt.  Support for the Tamil 
Tigers within the Canadian Tamil community had existed mostly 
underground previously, and public support of the LTTE had been 
muted.  Pro-Tiger sentiment seems to be increasingly open and bold, 
however, using the claim that Canadian Tamils are simply concerned 
for Tamils in their original homeland.  Members of Toronto's larger 
community also are beginning to take notice.  Recently, a local 
newspaper piece about the demonstrations included a picture of 
pro-Tamil protestors waving Tamil Tiger flags.  The caption 
explained that sympathetic Canadians who had joined the 
demonstrations to denounce human rights abuses in Sri Lanka felt 
confused and conflicted when they found themselves surrounded by 
flags supporting a terrorist organization. 
 
NAY