Designation
On June 16, 2008, the Government of Canada formally listed the World Tamil Movement as a "terrorist organization" under the Criminal Code of Canada. The World Tamil Movement, the Canadian Tamil Congress and the International Federation of Tamils condemned the move. Its vice president Velupillai Thangavelu refuted the state's allegations of extortion, arguing the RCMP had not prosecuted a single case. At the time of designation, no charges had been laid against the group or its members. Sithampalam characterised the listing as "the first step on a slippery slope, where all of our fundamental rights and freedoms can be eroded. We see the listing as a political move intended to silence a voice within the Tamil diaspora." Insisting that the organisation would fight the designation, their lawyer Marlyss Edwardh stated "This is not the conduct of a democracy where people are entitled to meet a challenge in a courtroom . . . it's much more for them like the actions of a police state."
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