A collection of 18 different Tamil Canadian student and youth organisations have demanded a “public apology” from the Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) and Global Tamil Forum (GTF), after they sparked controversy by meeting with accused war criminal Mahinda Rajapaksa last week.

The groups released a statement this morning, which was co-signed by Tamil Students’ Association from across the country and the Tamil Youth Organization Canada.

The meeting with Rajapaksa took place last week as part of a Sri Lankan government-backed initiative, which saw CTC and GTF members tour the island, following the signing of an agreement with Sinhala Buddhist clergy. The so-called “Himalaya Declaration”, made up of six brief statements, has come under widespread criticism from across the North-East and the diaspora.

Noting that Mahinda Rajapaksa is himself sanctioned by the Canadian government, the student organisations said the meeting was “a betrayal of over 75 years of the Tamil freedom struggle, and it is an insult to the memory of tens of thousands of victims of the Tamil genocide”.

“It is an insult to our nation which continues to face acts of genocide and live under military occupation,” they added.

Alongside a “public apology”, the groups, also said,

We call upon the Board of Directors of both organizations to resign immediately and that a space be given for new leadership that will espouse legitimate voices and aspirations of the Eelam Tamil nation. Those leading community initiatives, in positions of leadership and representing our people, should understand and know the value of the immense sacrifices that our nation has made for freedom over the last 75 years.

We call upon members, volunteers, sponsors, and donors of GTF and CTC to immediately take a principled stand and disassociate from these actions.

Read the full statement here.