Sri Lankan government rejects Canadian PM Trudeau's 'genocide' claims during war with LTTE

Sri Lankan government rejects Canadian PM Trudeau's 'genocide' claims during war with LTTE

The Sri Lankan government on Tuesday hit out at Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for engaging in electoral vote bank politics by making an "outrageous allegation" of a "genocide" during the island nation's brutal armed conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) that ended in 2009.

Trudeau, in a statement, noted that Canada’s Parliament unanimously voted to recognise May 18 as 'Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day'.

"We will always advocate for justice and accountability for the crimes committed during the conflict, as well as for the hardships faced by all in Sri Lanka. In 2023, we imposed sanctions against four former Sri Lankan government officials in response to their violations of human rights in the country during the armed conflict," Trudeau said in a statement on Saturday.