Canada plans to deport alleged Tamil Tiger

The Canadian authorities say they intend to deport an alleged Tamil Tiger fundraiser, Manickavasagam Suresh, to Sri Lanka on Monday Jan 19 in spite of a plea from his lawyer that his life could be endangered.

The Canadian Immigration Minister, Lucienne Robillard, made the decision under a law which permits the deportation of anyone linked to a group suspected of engaging in terrorism.

Mr Suresh has been in prison since his arrest in Toronto two years ago.

The human rights organisation Amnesty has supported Mr Suresh's contention that torture is carried out by the security forces in Sri Lanka, particularly of suspected Tamil Tiger supporters.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service