Toronto: Stop the Genocide of Tamils January 28, 2009

                       * Please Circulate Widely *
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               Sri Lankan Army fires artillery shells into
                   government-declared “SAFETY ZONES”

                  ACT NOW! STOP THE GENOCIDE OF TAMILS!

                            EMERGENCY RALLY
                          Thursday, January 29
                                6:00pm
                         United States Consulate
                          360 University Avenue
                                Toronto
                       TTC: Osgoode or St. Patrick

                                – and -

                          CANDLE-LIGHT VIGIL
                         Wednesday, February 4
                           5:30pm to 7:00pm
                         Sri Lankan Consulate
                       40 St. Clair Avenue West
                               Toronto
                            TTC: St. Clair

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PRESSURE THE GOVERNMENT OF SRI LANKA:

END IMMEDIATELY THE GENOCIDAL CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED ON TAMIL
CIVILIANS IN THE NORTHERN REGIONS!!!

On January 26 alone, over 300 Tamils were killed in
indiscriminate artillery attacks by the Sri Lankan Army
(SLA) on a village in the Northern district of Mullaithivu
in Sri Lanka. These brutal attacks have left thousands
seriously injured; many injured have bled to death on the
streets as there are no emergency medical supplies and
treatment facilities in these government-declared so-called
“Safety Zones”.

New reports indicate that civilians have been left to die
as the army continues to engage in artillery attacks,
including on hospitals.

“In a scene of carnage of untold proportion on civilian
targets hit by hundreds of Sri Lanka Army-fired artillery
shells, more than 300 people have died and several hundreds
are bleeding to death within the last 24 hours, amidst
pouring rain inside the ‘Safety Zone’ declared by the Colombo
government. Houses and vehicles burn for a stretch of three
kilometers between Va’l'lipunam Kaa’li temple and Moongkilaa’ru
towards Paranthan road, reports from Vanni said on Monday.
Unattended bodies and injured people unable to move are lying
around everywhere, while a remaining doctor fled and helpless
ICRC officials virtually cried at the scene from their bunkers.”

- TamilNet.com, January 26, 2009

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TAKE ACTION!

Demand that Canadian Members of Parliament, policy-makers,
and the media exert pressure on the Government of Sri Lanka
to immediately:

1. Halt the war and seek a negotiated political solution to
    the conflict.

2. Allow local and international NGOs and other humanitarian
    workers to provide much needed assistance to those displaced.

3. Lift the embargo on food, medicine, and other essential items.

4. Stop the indiscriminate bombings and shellings of civilians.

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Demand that the United Nations IMMEDIATELY:

1. Adopt a United Nations Human Rights Council Emergency
    Resolution calling for an end to the massive human rights
    violations against Tamils.

2. Establish a United Nations monitoring mission in Sri Lanka
    with a mandate to report on all human rights violations and
    humanitarian issues.

Stop the GENOCIDE OF TAMILS!

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For further information, please contact:

CanadianHART
(Canadian Humanitarian Appeal for the Relief of Tamils)

Phone: 416-838-9637
Email: info@canadianhart.org
Web: www.haltgenocide.org and http://www.tamilidpcrisis.org/

To endorse the Stop the Genocide of Tamils campaign, please
e-mail info@canadianhart.org.

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