Namal Rajapaksa, parliamentarian and son of accused war criminal Mahinda Rajapaksa, has called on the Sri Lankan government to summon the Canadian High Commissioner to formally protest the unveiling of a Tamil Genocide Monument in Brampton, Canada, claiming it promotes a “false genocide narrative” and “distorts history.”
In a statement released on X (formerly Twitter), Rajapaksa accused the Canadian government of being “influenced by certain factions within the Tamil diaspora” and criticised the monument as a politically motivated act that “poses a serious threat to the reconciliation process in Sri Lanka.”
“It is concerning that Canada has inaugurated a Tamil Genocide Memorial when, under international law, no genocide has been proven or can be proven against the Sri Lankan military in its conflict with the LTTE terrorists,” he said. “The so-called Tamil genocide monument appears to be a politically driven move by the Canadian government, which has long been influenced by certain factions within the Tamil diaspora.”
Rajapaksa called on the Sri Lankan government to respond immediately. “The Sri Lankan government should immediately summon the Canadian High Commissioner to formally protest and urge Canada to support accurate historical narratives,” he said, adding that the government’s failure to act would be “a disservice to the armed forces, the country’s sovereignty, and its people.”
His statement comes days after thousands gathered at Chinguacousy Park in Brampton on 10 May for the unveiling of the Tamil Genocide Monument, a permanent structure dedicated to memorialising the Tamil victims of the genocide perpetrated by the Sri Lankan state.
The monument includes a large book-shaped structure, symbolising the education of Tamil genocide history, and features a map of Tamil Eelam, the Tamil homeland. It is inscribed with nine panels—each representing a district of the North-East—that detail the systematic acts of genocide carried out against the Tamil people since 1948.
The Sri Lankan military has long been accused of committing genocide, particularly during the final stages of the armed conflict in 2009. These include the intentional shelling of government-declared No Fire Zones, attacks on hospitals and food distribution lines, widespread sexual violence, and the deprivation of essential aid to civilians in the Vanni. Over 160,000 Tamils remain unaccounted for in just the final months alone.
Read more here: Tamil Genocide Monument inaugurated in Brampton.
