The march started from Nathan's Square adjoining the Toronto New City Hall at 11.00 a.m. and wound its way to Queen's Park in front of Ontario Provincial Parliament.

Several floats were taken and one of them was a mock coffin carried by four young men to the deafening sound of parai-molams (drums). The coffin bore the epitaph "80,000 Thamils killed in Sri Lanka - Try Chandrika for War Crimes."

It took several hours for the procession to reach the venue only 2 km away where there was nothing but a sea of heads.

Sri Lankan army quit Thamil Eelam was one of the several slogans shouted by the crowd. Some of the slogans shouted were:

FREEDOM FOR SRI LANKA - SLAVERY FOR THAMILS FEBRUARY 4^th

BLACK DAY FOR THAMILS

SRI LANKA VIOLATES HUMAN RIGHTS

SRI LANKA - STOP KILLING THAMILS SRI LANKA

STOP SHELLING THAMILS SRI LANKA

STOP RAPING THAMILS SRI LANKA

STOP BOMBING SCHOOLS SRI LANKA

STOP BOMBING TEMPLES SRI LANKA

STOP TORTURING THAMILS

The meeting commenced with the hoisting of the Canadian National flag and Thamil Eelam National flag by members of Heroes families.

The rally was addressed by Members of Federal and Provincial Parliaments and Toronto City Councilors. Mr.V. Thangavelu, made the welcome speech and said similar rallies are simultaneously taking place all over the world where Thamil Diaspora is present. He announced the attack on the Sinhala army camp at Paranthan and Kilinochchi by the LTTE forces and that very soon the Sinhala armed forces will be driven out. He concluded by saying that Thamil Eelam will be a reality.

Mr. Bill Graham, M.P. (Toronto Centre) who spoke next declared that he wholeheartedly support the national liberation struggle of the Thamil people and in his own mind the LTTE is like the African National Congress or the Palestinian Liberation Organization. His speech was punctuated with loud applause from the enthusiastic crowd who stood on ten centimeters deep snow in freezing temperature.

The other speakers who followed roundly condemned the Sri Lankan government's genocidal war against the Thamil people. They included Mr. Jim Karygiannis, M.P. (Scarborough Agincourt), Jim Brown, M.P.P. (Scarborough West), Mr. Tony Silipo, M.P.P. (Dover Court) and Deputy leader of Ontario New Democratic Party, Mr. Jack Layton, Toronto City Councilor, Ms. Pam McConnel, Toronto City Councilor and several others. A resolution asking the Canadian government to recognize the legitimate national struggle of the Thamil people under the leadership of the vanguard force the LTTE was proposed by the President of FACT and was carried by loud acclamation from the crowd. Mr. S. Sittampalam, President Thamil Eelam Society acted as the Master of Ceremonies. Mr. Sam Duraiswamy, Coordinator FACT proposed the vote of thanks.

More than 600 Thamil establishments remained closed to mark the Black Day. Local electronic media gave wide publicity to the rally.

Artists from Vaanampadi entertained the crowd by signing liberation songs ending with the song "Nambungal Thamil Eelam Naalai Prakkum (Believe me Thamil Eelam shall be born tomorrow) jointly sung by the crowd as well. Thamils living in far away cities like Montreal and Ottawa attend the rally. Those present gave cash donations to the Thamil Eelam Medical Fund. The meeting was concluded at 2. 15 p.m.

RESOLUTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
AT THE MASS RALLY AND DEMONSTRATION STAGED ON
FEBRUARY 1ST, 1998 AT QUEEN'S PARK, TORONTO

We, Thamil Canadians and members of Human Rights Organisations, Church Groups and community and social activists assembled at Toronto on this 1st day of February, 1998 and took part in the Mass Rally and Demonstration to reiterate the message that Sri Lanka's 50 years of Independence meant freedom for the Sinhalese people but enslavement for Thamils of Thamil Eelam hereby resolve:

WHEREAS, the Thamil people of Thamil Eelam are in possession of a historical and traditional Homeland for themselves comprising the North-East province in the island of Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, and they constitute a Nation, and they, therefore, have the inalienable right to self-determination;

WHEREAS, the Thamil people of Thamil Eelam have come to the irreversible conclusion that more than five decades of political dialogue with the Sinhalese leaders of eleven different parliaments resulted only in broken promises, deception, betrayal and naked violence unleashed in the form of pogroms against our People;

WHEREAS, the Sinhala Nation will never recognize the inalienable rights and the political, social, economic and cultural aspirations of the Thamil people of Thamil Eelam and accept them as equals in the country of their birth;

WHEREAS, the rights of the Thamil people of Thamil Eelam as outlined above have been denied over five decades, ever since Sri Lanka gained independence from foreign rule, and continue to be denied by the Sinhala Nation;

WHEREAS, the continued denial of the fundamental rights of the Thamil people and the physical violence unleashed against them has led to the birth of a national liberation movement;

WHEREAS, this national liberation movement finds justification and legitimacy under international law to take up arms in self defence to establish the rights and protect the Thamil people of Thamil Eelam;

WHEREAS, this national liberation movement is seen as the Liberation Tigers of Thamil Eelam who are the authentic and accredited representatives of the Thamil people of Thamil Eelam:

WHEREAS, the Sri Lankan government policy of "Peace through War" is nothing but a ploy to carry on the genocidal war against the Thamil people with a view to impose Sinhala hegemonic rule using brutal military force;

WHEREAS, the Sri Lankan government policy of "Peace through War" has-

1. caused tremendous loss of lives close to 70,000 Thamils;
2. brought nothing but misery and starvation to over 500,000 Refugees in Vanni and the Eastern province;
3. incarceration of thousands of innocent Thamils based purely on their ethnicity in jails and detention centres under Prevention of Terrorism Act and Emergency Regulations; and
4. disappearances of more than 700 Thamils in the Jaffna peninsula alone since the Sinhala army occupation in 1995 and rape of Thamil women and school children;

WHEREAS, the Sri Lankan government has imposed an inhuman economic blockade and restrictions on independent operations of NGOs that has reduced the people of Vanni and Eastern province to semi-starvation levels;

THAT, the National conflict between the Thamil Nation and the Sinhala Nation can only be resolved peacefully on the basis of recognition of the right to self-determination of the Thamil people;

WE call upon the international community to press the Sri Lankan government to:

1. Withdraw the Sinhala army of occupation from Thamil Eelam ;
2. Lift the six years old economic embargo;
3. Declare a cease fire; and
4. Abandon the suicidal policy of "Peace through War";
5. Seek with the help of third party mediation a negotiated political settlement by entering into genuine and serious negotiations with the Liberation Tigers of Thamil Eelam - the accredited representatives of the Thamil people.

We call upon the Canadian government to recognize the legitimate aspirations of the Thamil people of Thamil Eelam under the leadership of the vanguard force the Liberation Tigers of Thamil Eelam;