United Press International
Ottawa — The government of India has warned Canadian officials in Ottawa of the regrouping of violent Sikh separatists, the Vancouver Sun reported Tuesday.
A senior official with the Indian High Commission told the Sun Monday the issue of the Khalistan movement was raised by India as recently as “three days ago” with Canadian officials.
“We do believe there is a certain resurgence of this movement here,” said diplomat Rajiv Sahi.
Khalistan is the name of a territory Sikhs want to carve out of India’s Punjab region.
The violent separatist movement was largely crushed in India in 1992, but last week, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said India has “credible information” the group was reorganizing in Britain, Canada, Germany and Pakistan, the newspaper said.
Canada is in the process of delisting defunct groups from its list of terror organizations, and Liberal Public Safety critic Ujjal Dosanjh told the newspaper the Conservative government wasn’t responding to the threat appropriately.
“These guys (separatists) that are here are not welcome in India and yet they are able to function in a place like Canada with total impunity — it is mind-boggling,” he said.
Copyright 2008 by United Press International
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posted March 11, 2008 at 7:53 pm
Well if they aren’t terrorists it seems to me they have every right to meet. Of course if they plot terror that’s different. But then I’m not a Canadian and I don’t know much about their laws.
If you want to know more about Sikhism check Wikipedia. For relatively recent history which may help explain what our article is about, read the last half of the section on “Political Advancement”.
posted March 11, 2008 at 9:43 pm
I think someone needs to commission Tom Lehrer to write a New Millenium version of “National Brotherhood Week”. Not even the most detailed score sheet can keep track of who wants to kill whom. It might be easier to list who has not published or updated their hate list this week.
I am sad for all of us.
posted March 13, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Canada is an attractive place for terrorist.
posted March 14, 2008 at 12:07 am
ck,
This time of year I don’t think Canada is attractive to Inuits, let alone terrorists. Otherwise the Canadians would not be filling our roads, restaurants, and beaches here in sunny Florida. I guess the Indian gov. is giving the Canadians a 4 months heads-up.