Pongu-Thamil bound TNA MPs denied Canadian visas
By Chris Kamalendran
Four Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians have been refused Canadian visas to attend the pro-LTTE Pongu Thamil celebrations starting in Toronto today.

The four MPs, Joseph Pararajasingham, Gajendra Kumar Ponnambalam, N. Gajendran and Padmini Sithamparanathan, applied to the Canadian High Commission in Colombo for visas but they were turned down on the basis that the applications came in too late.

But some sources said the Canadian government had other reasons and did not wish to encourage people from other countries to take part in the controversial Toronto festival.

This came after the Jathika Sangha Sammelanaya and the National Movement Against Terrorism (NMAT) held a demonstration outside the Canadian High Commission in Colombo on Thursday, calling on Ottawa to ban the Pongu Thamil festival in Toronto.

Top

Back to News

| Front Page | | News | | Editorial | | Columns | | Sports | | Plus | | Financial Times | | Mirror Magazine | | TV Times | Funday Times |

Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers Ltd. All rights reserved.