Toronto, July 10 - Sri Lanka is holding captive several foreign nationals, including Canadians of Tamil origin, for allegedly fighting alongside Tamil Tigers for an independent homeland, reports here say.

Quoting Sri Lankan authorities, reports say some foreign-based Tamils, allegedly conscripted by the Tamil Tigers, are being held in camps for former rebels.

The Canadian foreign ministry has confirmed that at least four of its nationals are currently being held by the Sri Lankans. It has sought confirmation from Colombo about their exact numbers.

'Our High Commission in Colombo has sent a diplomatic note to the Sri Lankan government requesting confirmation of the number of Canadian citizens that are being detained,' foreign ministry spokesperson Laura Markle has been quoted as saying in the Canadian media.

A Tamil family in Brampton on the outskirts of Toronto has confirmed that their son, who had gone to Sri Lanka in October 2007, is being held in a camp for captured Tamil rebels.

Reports from Colombo quote the captured Canadian George Julius as saying that he was 'forcibly conscripted by the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam)'.

He has allegedly told the authorities that the Tiger police confiscated his passport when he arrived in Sri Lanka and forced him to join them.