General

Tamil Tigers coming to Canada

Expert says the terrorist group wants to continue its fight from the Great White North

Many of the Tamil immigrants in custody after their ship was recently seized off the coast of B.C. are members of the Tamil Tigers, and came to Canada as part of the terrorist organization’s plot to re-launch its fight against the Sri Lankan government, according to an expert advising the Canadian government. Prof. Rohan Gunaratna heads the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research, a think tank based in Singapore, and is assisting the government in its investigation of the migrants. Gunaratna also named the man he says is the mastermind behind the plot, Ravi Shankar Kanagaraja, that Canadian authorities are currently seeking. Evidence presented at hearings for the detained migrants shows that clothing owned by two of the men carried traces of residue from chemicals used in explosives, and that they tried to mask the identity of their ship because it used to run guns for the Tigers. But lawyers for the men say they have no connection to the group, and that Gunaratna is not a credible expert because of his close ties to the Sri Lankan government.

CBC

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