Gary A. caught up in failed bid to secure political asylum for LTTE cadre in Canada

Senthuran Selvakumaran, who has denied links with the LTTE in a bid to enter Canada, had previously admitted affiliation with the terrorist group while seeking political asylum in the UK, Canadian media and news agencies reported.

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His Canadian lawyer said that Selvakumaran had been advised by a British lawyer to falsely say that he had been linked to the militant group while making an asylum claim there. British authorities denied his asylum claim and he had to leave the country.

The case has taken an unexpected turn, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney expressing confidence in Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree following a revelation that Anandasangaree, prior to becoming a minister, wrote letters supporting the immigration application of Selvakumaran, barred from Canada due to alleged affiliation with the LTTE.

Anandasangaree, who denies Selvakumaran’s affiliation claims, stated he was acting as an MP for a constituent and has since recused himself from Sri Lanka-related matters as minister.

While he was parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Justice, Anandasangaree wrote to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) supporting an application to overturn a decision not to let Senthuran Selvakumaran, a constituent’s husband, into the country.

Canadian immigration officials had denied Selvakumaran entry after determining that he may have been affiliated with the LTTE.

Anandasangaree asked the CBSA if it would review its decision to advise the public safety minister not to grant Selvakumaran permanent residence in Canada to enable him to join his wife and child who live in his constituency.

The Liberal MP wrote two letters in support of his case in 2016, as well as in 2023, when he was parliamentary secretary.

Selvakumaran had previously told British immigration authorities that he had been involved with the Tamil Tigers, a proscribed terrorist organization in Britain and Canada, a claim he denied when he applied to come to Canada to join his wife in Toronto.