Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath today (14) summoned the Canadian High Commissioner in Colombo to reiterate the Government of Sri Lanka’s strong objections regarding the unfounded genocide allegations and the approval of constructing a monument, which complicates and undermines the government’s efforts toward reconciliation and national unity.
During the meeting, the Foreign Minister emphasized the stance of Sri Lanka as, “Sri Lanka maintains that the allegation of genocide during the final phase of the conflict in Sri Lanka is unsubstantiated by any credible authority, either nationally or internationally, and is based on misleading information. Sri Lanka firmly rejects this false narrative and believes it has been propagated primarily for electoral gains within Canada,”
The Minister said “It is worth highlighting that in April 2021, the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Development of Canada officially confirmed that the Government of Canada has not made any finding of genocide in Sri Lanka. Additionally, Canada designated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as a terrorist organization in 2006 and reaffirmed this designation in June 2024,”
Further, Herath stated, “The Government of Sri Lanka has repeatedly expressed its strong objections to the construction of a so-called Tamil Genocide Monument at Chinguacousy Park in Brampton, Canada. It has consistently urged the Federal Government of Canada to intervene and prevent this regrettable initiative by the Brampton City Council,”