When presented with a damning report by an international human rights organization exposing the operation of a criminal gang that targets Tamil Canadians, it is entirely understandable that representatives of the community would meet with reporters to express "deep anguish."

Except the anguish in question was not directed at the criminals extorting money to fund a vicious terrorist war waged by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE, or Tamil Tigers) in their homeland of Sri Lanka. Instead, the Canadian Tamil Congress held a press conference on Wednesday at which representatives expressed their anger and "deep hurt" over the Human Rights Watch report itself.

A spokesman lamented the tone of the document, saying it had "elements of condescension." Another feared it would result in "negative stereotyping" of Canada's Tamil community. Another asked, "which community doesn't have criminal elements?"

Indeed, every ethnic and racial group in the country has criminal elements. But usually criminals are greeted by community members with censure if not revulsion.

Most Canadians, no matter their heritage, understand the need to expose criminals, to shame them, to co-operate with authorities and to put the criminals where they belong -- behind bars. The urgency of such a community response would only be compounded in cases where the criminals used intimidation to secure funds for a terrorist group that employs child soldiers, suicide bombers, and attacks on civilian targets, as the LTTE does.

Yet moments after he had decried as "defamation" any suggestion his group is a front for the LTTE, Canadian Tamil Congress representative Neethan Shan said with a straight face that the "LTTE is on side with the concerns of the Tamil community."

Speakers at the press conference wanted to focus not on the shakedown of Canadian Tamils by terrorist sympathizers, but instead on the purported "vilification" of their community by Human Rights Watch. They denied any knowledge of the serious allegations made in the report, seeking instead to discredit it because Human Rights Watch happens to be a foreign NGO, based in New York.

One speaker, Dushy Ghanapragasam, said, "I don't know it, but some researcher in New York knows it. How possible is that?" His comment was greeted with laughter by the mainly Tamil audience.

Laughter is about the last thing one would have expected from representatives of the Tamil community in Canada in these circumstances.

Human Rights Watch interviewed dozens of Tamil community members, and the intelligence they gathered underscores the need for the federal government to ban the Tamil Tigers under the 2001 Anti-Terrorism Act. It underscores also the need for a resolute response against crime by Tamils in this country.

The report quotes one Toronto businessman who said he was unable to pay $20,000 demanded by the LTTE. He was told, "OK, we understand that you do not want to help us, but you will learn the lesson soon. We understand that you are not considering your wife and children."

In another case, a Toronto Tamil was visited at home in January by two men who identified themselves as representatives of the World Tamil Movement (a group linked to the LTTE) and demanded money. When the man said he did not support the LTTE, he was threatened: "We will deal with you."

Another Toronto Tamil told Human Rights Watch: "Canada is not actually a democracy because we can't even open our mouths against the LTTE. People are scared to open their mouths."

In light of such statements from fearful members of the Tamil community in Toronto, we would have expected the Canadian Tamil Congress to speak out on their behalf and to condemn crimes that target their community. We would have expected them to rise up and demand police investigations of such allegations, and a pledge to co-operate with authorities to expose anyone responsible.

We would not have expected a smear job directed at a highly regarded human rights organization. And certainly, we would not have expected laughter.