The current Conservative government banned the LTTE in 2006 for using suicide bombers and child soldiers in its goal for an independent nation for Sri Lankan Tamils.

Supporting a banned organisation also constitutes violation of Canada’s anti-terror laws.

More than 50,000 Tamils had joined in a “human chain” in the heart of the city, urging Canada to lift its ban on the LTTE and seek support for an independent Tamil Eelam.

Toronto police say they have launched an investigation whether waving of LTTE flags contituted violation of new anti-terror laws.

“It is something of a legal issue, and that is something that will be looked into through our legal department,” said Constable Wendy Drummond of Toronto Police. More...Discuss this story Published: Wed Mar 18 23:20:44 EDT 2009

A section of lawmakers from the opposition United National Party (UNP) Wickremesinghe to step down.

Senior party members are to meet Wednesday night for discussions on the issue.

The calls for Wickremesinghe to step down because of his 'unpopularity' come amidst successive military victories for the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which help to boost Rajapaska's ratings.

Wickremesinghe, who turns 60 on March 24, shot to the limelight in 1993 when he was named premier after then-president Ranasinghe Premadasa was killed by a Tamil suicide bomber and then-premier DB Wijetunga took over the presidency.

He came under party-internal criticism as he has lost 18 local and national elections since 1994, but was prime minister a second time from late 2001 to early 2004. More... Discuss this story Published: Wed Mar 18 19:48:57 EDT 2009

Last week, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton voiced "deep concern" to Sri Lanka over rising civilian casualties in a government-designated no-fire zone. The Red Cross, which normally prefers quiet persuasion to arm-twisting, has raised the alarm over a humanitarian crisis in the remaining pocket of rebel-held territory, where makeshift hospitals are out of needed drugs and food supplies are dwindling.

But this outcry has failed to sway Sri Lanka's government, which dismisses its critics as biased and reliant on propaganda from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which has fought a bloody war for self-rule since 1983. Government officials defend the military's conduct in pushing back the rebels and say the onus is on the LTTE to let civilians flee the conflict, not use them as shields or force them to fight.

Behind the diplomatic exchanges are divisions within the international community over the proper response to apparent violations of international law by both sides. Far from pressing hard for action, some United Nations officials have muffled internal reporting from the war zone, to the frustration of aid workers and human rights activists who accuse the UN of cowardice in the face of a belligerent government.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay broke ranks on Friday. In a stern statement, she said that 2,800 civilians may have died and more than 7,000 been injured since Jan. 20. Most of these casualties occurred in the 7-1/2-mile-long no-fire zone and were the result of Army shelling. Certain actions by the warring parties "may constitute violations of international More...Discuss this story Published: Wed Mar 18 19:46:16 EDT 2009