Ukrainian tourists protest outside the Russian Embassy in Colombo
The National Council of Canadian Tamils (NCCT) has released a statement standing in "solidarity with the Ukrainian people,” highlighting that the “current Russian government's unprovoked attack on the Democratic state of Ukraine… must be condemned by the strongest terms possible and stopped.”
The NCCT expressed their sympathy to the Ukrainian people stating, “The suffering and death of Ukrainian people are unimaginable. This is deeply disturbing, and our thoughts are with the Ukrainian people.”
The Tamil Canadian Group also highlighted the painful memories sparked by the unfolding events, adding;
“These unfolding catastrophic situations in Ukraine has brought back Tamil people the very painful memories of their own relatives and friends being slaughtered by the Sri Lankan government and its ruthless armed forces during the height of Tamil Genocide, back in 2009.”
“Tamil people strongly request the international community do everything possible, to avert any harm to the people of Ukraine, to prevent a genocide, and to help them defend their right to determine their own future."
The Canadian group also mentioned Ukraine’s decision to file a case with the International court of justice (ICJ), accusing Russia of “planning acts of Genocide in Ukraine” and “intentionally killing and inflicting serious injury on members of the Ukrainian nationality.”
Earlier this week, Russia’s Alexey Gruzdev, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, reportedly arrived in Sri Lanka and met with the regime’s State Minister for Regional Co-Operation Tharaka Balasuriya in Colombo. While Sri Lanka facilitated discussions of deepening trade links, states around the world announced a host of wide-ranging sanctions on Russia.
Read more here: As world slaps sanctions on Russia, Sri Lanka looks to deepen trade with Moscow
The discussions between the two officials also came just days after Sri Lanka’s president Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Russian president Vladimir Putin exchanged letters to celebrate their “abiding friendship and vibrant relations."
Read the NCCT's statement here.
