"SELF DETERMINATION IS KEY TO THE WORLD PEACE"
Lawsuit alleges defamation of Canadian Tamil Congress by Rohan Gunaratna Toronto, ON (July 12, 2011
[Tuesday, 12 July 2011 20:13] Featured, General, News
Canadian Tamil Congress will be holding a Media Press Conference tomorrow Wednesday July 13th 2011
Press Release attached below.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Lawsuit alleges defamation of Canadian Tamil Congress by Rohan Gunaratna
Toronto, ON (July 12, 2011) – The Canadian Tamil Congress (“CTC”) has commenced a lawsuit in Ontario against Rohan Gunaratna for defamation, following allegedly defamatory statements Gunaratna made about the CTC in February 2011 to a newspaper published in Sri Lanka.
The lawsuit alleges that Gunaratna, a Professor of Security Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, stated in an interview which appeared in Lakbima News, a Sri-Lankan newspaper, that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (“LTTE”) is “operating in Canada under the name of Canadian Tamil Congress, which is the main LTTE front Organization in Canada.”
The lawsuit also alleges that Gunaratna stated that the Canadian government is investigating that the “LTTE is operating under the name of Canadian Tamil Congress”.
The lawsuit alleges that Gunaratna’s statements are defamatory, in that they are false and, among other meanings, have been falsely understood to mean that the CTC is an entity through which the LTTE has conducted operations in Canada.
The lawsuit also alleges that this is not the first time that Gunaratna’s qualifications and objectivity as a stated expert on terrorism have been challenged.
The CTC is a non-profit organization which serves as the voice of Tamil Canadians. Headquartered in Toronto, the CTC has chapters across Canada and an elected board of directors.
“While the CTC’s mission is to work with various levels of government in Canada to address issues of significance to Tamil Canadians, the CTC does not, and never has, functioned as the front in Canada for the LTTE movement”, said David Poopalapillai, the CTC’s National Spokesperson. “The CTC brought this lawsuit to combat the harm done to its reputation and ability to address issues of importance to Tamil Canadians as a result of Gunaratna’s statements.”
Poopalapillai and Umasuthan Suntharamoorthy, a director of the CTC, are also plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
Gunaratna has been served with the statement of claim in Singapore but has not yet defended the lawsuit. Lakbima News, which published the allegedly defamatory interview with Gunaratna, is also a defendant and is aware of the allegations against it.
A copy of the statement of claim in the lawsuit can be found at: www.canadiantamilcongress.ca
Further information about the lawsuit may be obtained by contacting Louis Sokolov (416-979-6439) or Daniel Iny (416-979-4247) of Sack Goldblatt Mitchell LLP in Toronto, the CTC’s lawyers in this lawsuit
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Global Peace Support Group UK Ltd is a registered organisation based in London. The organisation dedicated to be involved in humanitarian and other related issues. We also work along with other similar organisations to promote peace and harmony among various societies..
GLOBAL PEACE SUPPORT GROUP - UK - TIRELESSLY WORK ON THE CONCEPT OF:
"SELF DETERMINATION IS KEY TO THE WORLD PEACE"
MOURNS ON THE CONTINUED TRAGEDY OF THE PEOPLE OF North & East of Tamil EELAM WITH THE HOPE OF ALL OF OUR ENDEAVOURS WOULD BRING AN END TO THOSE SUFFERING DURING THE YEAR AHEAD.
The International community has a duty towards the long suffering Sri Lankan Tamil population to restore their rights of SELF DETERMINATION.
Global Peace Support Group - believes that this is the ONLY way for a permanent PEACE in Sri Lanka.
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