Seeman arrested, deported from Canada for his inflammatory speech

Canadian immigration officials arrested Seeman in Toronto on Thursday after he gave a fiery speech at an event where the flag of the outlawed Tamil Tigers rebels was flown, according to National Post, a Canadian newspaper.

Sebastian Seeman, who was in Canada on a speaking tour, was taken into custody by Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers and questioned before agreeing to leave the country immediately. He departed Canada on Thursday night.

Film director Seeman, known for his vociferous and hardline speeches in support of the Tamil Tigers and their fight for Eelam, was scheduled to speak at a Tamil community function on Friday and in Montreal on Sunday, but was forced to cancel due to his arrest.

He was targeted after his photos surfaced in fliers, showing him smiling and posing with the late leader of the Tamil Tigers, Velupillai Prabhakaran.

On Wednesday, Seeman addressed a Tamils gathering in Toronto, where he talked about restarting the civil war in Sri Lanka, according to several Tamil-Canadians who heard it on the radio or watched it on the Internet, the newspaper says.

He also spoke harshly about the ethnic Singhala who are the majority in Sri Lanka. "No Singhala can live," he said, according to the witnesses. He also said the war would have ended differently had the rebels bombed 100 Singhala schools for every Tamil school bombed by the Sri Lankan forces, the newspaper further reports.

In the video of his speech, a flag bearing the militaristic emblem of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) can be seen in the room. The Tigers are a banned terrorist organization under Canadian law.

Seeman seemed to have denied any ties to the rebels. He had agreed to leave because CBSA officials intended to detain him until at least Monday, which meant he would miss his speaking events.

Seeman's speaking tour coincided or made to coincide, it is not known, with "heroes' day," also known as "martyr's day," an event held each year to commemorate Tamil rebels who died during the fight for independence.

Police have been investigating Tamil Tigers activities in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver since 2002. The investigation concluded that pro-rebel groups in Canada had funneled millions of dollars to the Tigers.

"There are an estimated 250,000 Tamils in this country, more than anywhere else in the world outside of Sri Lanka. Canada is one of the few places in the world where LTTE terrorists and supporters might seek to hide in plain sight, and potentially launch terrorist activities," according to Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner.

Seeman entered Canada on Monday. He was traveling on a visa issued last month by the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi. He visited Canada in 2007 without incident.

- Asian Tribune -