Sri Lanka boots Rae

[capricorn]

A Canadian MP, Bob Rae was detained briefly on arrival at Sri Lanka's international airport on Wednesday and was deported shortly for allegedly having supported the Tamil Tiger rebels, officials said.

Bob Rae, a Liberal member of parliament and outspoken critic of the Sri Lankan military's offensive against the rebels, was stopped at Bandaranaike International airport and barred from passing through immigration, a foreign ministry official said.

Immigration Commissioner P. B. Abeykoon said Liberal MP Bob Rae was briefly detained Wednesday at the international airport when he arrived in the country.

He said Sri Lanka's intelligence services deemed Mr. Rae's visit “not suitable” and former Ontario premier was forced to leave on another flight.

Ms. Ira de Silva from London, Ontario, a strong critic of the LTTE and their supporters had criticized Rae's visit in advance.

Just this week, on June 2, 2009 Mr. Bob Rae spoke in parliament calling for an investigation into Sri Lanka, and referred to 20,000 dead/missing and was followed on June 3,2009 by Mr. Jim Karygianis speaking on behalf of his LTTE Tamil constituents calling for an emergency debate on Sri Lanka.

Mr. Bob Rae and Mr. J. Karygianis are members of parliament of the Liberal Party of Canada who are the opposition in parliament. They are from the greater Toronto area where the bulk of the Tamil voters sympathetic to the LTTE live and from where tens of thousands of Tamils waving the LTTE flag and carrying pictures of Prabhakaran have been demonstrating both in Ottawa and Toronto. Further, as Mr. Rae is the current foreign affairs critic in parliament he will use information from this visit to harass the government of Canada which will not be good for Canada-Sri Lanka relations.

These are the same members of parliament who spoke on the first emergency debate on February 4, 2009. These are the words of J. Karygianis recorded in the Hansard. "Mr. Speaker, last week I held a round table with my constituents on the issue of Sri Lanka. These are some of the actions they want the Government of Canada to undertake - condemn immediately the slaughter and genocide of innocent Tamil civilians in the northern part of Sri Lanka by the Sri Lankan army...When is the government going to rise and say that if Sri Lanka does not change its ways, it is going to be kicked out of the Commonwealth?"

---

Given the above, imagine my surprise when I received information that the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Canada has requested and got secret approval from some individuals in the Foreign Office in Colombo to send Mr. Bob Rae to Sri Lanka from June 10-12 and asked that he be treated as a "cabinet minister". He is NOT a cabinet minister but an opposition member of parliament and the foreign affairs critic of the current government of Canada. Karygianis may also make a surprise visit. The current government in Canada designated the LTTE as a terrorist organization. Mr. Rae and his party has opposed this, and criticized the current government on many occasions because on account of this.

http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2009/06/ca...d-from-sri.html

This does not look good for the Liberal foreign affairs critic. I wonder if Ignatieff still has confidence that Rae can adequately perform his duties.

[Smallc]

I really don't see anything wrong there...except on the part of Sri Lanka.

[capricorn]

What did Sri Lanka do that is wrong?

[Oleg Bach]

Ms. Ira de Silva from London, Ontario, a strong critic of the LTTE and their supporters had criticized Rae's visit in advance.

http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2009/06/ca...d-from-sri.html

This does not look good for the Liberal foreign affairs critic. I wonder if Ignatieff still has confidence that Rae can adequately perform his duties.

Nothing worse than a prime minister who really wanted to be a hockey star - Rae who wanted to be a pop star - and Ignatieff who is star struck with himself. Rae's mild man greying persona really does not have much pull anywhere - should have sent Don Cherry jacked up on rye.

[Jerry J. Fortin]

I really don't see anything wrong there...except on the part of Sri Lanka.

You make a stand, you have to expect to take some hits. Rae is not the Government of Canada, merely a critic. They can get away with this because the Government of Canada will not go to bat for him.

[Smallc]

What did Sri Lanka do that is wrong?

What did Rae do wrong that deserved deportation? Don't tell me that Conservatives are supporting the Sri Lankan government now.

Edited June 10, 2009 by Smallc

[capricorn]

Rae's mild man greying persona really does not have much pull anywhere -

He's got plenty of pull with Tamil voters in TO.

[capricorn]

What did Rae do wrong that deserved deportation?

Looking at it from the Sri Lanka government perspective, it's pretty obvious. Take off your Liberal-coloured glasses and read the link.

[Oleg Bach]

He's got plenty of pull with Tamil voters in TO.

The whole provincial liberal party depended on the immigrant vote for years - "vote liberal or the conservatives will deport you and your grandma" - now that the Tamils are deemed terrorist - no one wants to go near them - they got their votes once - but will not get them again.

[Smallc]

Looking at it from the Sri Lanka government perspective, it's pretty obvious. Take off your Liberal-coloured glasses and read the link.

I only see something wrong with what he did if I put on my fascist glasses....and I don't like to wear those.

[Oleg Bach]

I only see something wrong with what he did if I put on my fascist glasses....and I don't like to wear those.

We all better put on our universal facist glasses soon and create a unified front - partizanship is not working - rather see a "facist" in control than all this bickering

[capricorn]

Very funny Smallc. Here's something funnier.

Rae, who only had a one-way ticket to Sri Lanka, was detained at the Katunayaka International Airport and forced to leave on another flight.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/stor...610?hub=QPeriod

A one-way ticket? As government travel goes, that's different. With no return ticket, I wonder how long he intended to stay in Sri Lanka. By the way, I suppose taxpayers are on the hook for Rae's junket? To do what? Gather information with which to hammer the Sri Lankan government and accuse the Conservatives of not doing enough to help the victims of the conflict? I guess we'll never know now.

[Smallc]

Maybe he was going to become a rebel?

It's the opposition's job to be critical of the government. We as a country don't have to stand beside a government that is just as bad or worse than rebels. He probably was gathering information, but that's part of his job.

I really don't see the problem here and I wouldn't see a problem with it no matter the party.

[Oleg Bach]

Maybe he was going to become a rebel?

It's the opposition's job to be critical of the government. We as a country don't have to stand beside a government that is just as bad or worse than rebels. He probably was gathering information, but that's part of his job.

I really don't see the problem here and I wouldn't see a problem with it no matter the party.

He had better share that information with ALL parties.

[jdobbin]

This does not look good for the Liberal foreign affairs critic. I wonder if Ignatieff still has confidence that Rae can adequately perform his duties.

Doubt that any Liberal would be welcome in Sri Lanka.

The government there still has a job to do pretty much hold a large portion of the Tamil population prisoner. The Conservative government may well have people denied entry or asked to leave as well if they pose any inconvenient questions.

Edited June 10, 2009 by jdobbin

[Oleg Bach]

Doubt that any Liberal would be welcome in Sri Lanka.

The government there still has a job to do pretty much hold a large portion of the Tamil population prisoner. The Conservative government may well have people denied entry or asked to leave as well if they pose any inconvenient questions.

It's a very sad state of affairs - wonder if allowed - would the the Israeli-Palistine issue resolve it self if WE and the rest of the world turned a blind eye to the genocide of the Palistinans the same way...we turned a blind eye to Shrilanka? The vanquished become the crimminals and the victors the establishment. No one can imagine the horror that is taking place in Shrilanka during the mop up operation - thousands of so-called rebel Tamils are being quietly executed - in a very Stalin like purge of the oppostion - but - we won't be hearing about that will we?

[Muddy]

Canada can take blame for Rae being thrown out of Sri Lanka. For years the previous government of the Liberals helped the Tamil Tigers raise money . Rae and his party supported a terrorist organization in a third world country. Now they want to pretend to be neutral and investigate what is going on in this terrible place? I don`t think the government of that country wants to take chances of being under the microscope of known supporters of the Tamil Tigers. Would you?

[capricorn]

The Conservative government may well have people denied entry or asked to leave as well if they pose any inconvenient questions.

Any government official, in government or opposition, that traveled to a sovereign country to basically snoop around for unclear purposes should expect to be given the boot.

Here's Rae's statement.

I am clearly not welcome here to discuss the humanitarian situation and the future of reconciliation in this country. But the government of Sri Lanka knew my views, and granted me a visa. I have flown a very long way only to be told the door is firmly shut.

The Sri Lankan government has made this decision because they have apparently reached some ill-conceived and defamatory conclusions about me. But after thirty years of public service at home and abroad I have to say this decision reflects on them, and not on me. I have fought against violence and extremism all my life. Everyone knows that, and the record of my actions, speeches and reports is there for all to see.

What they now also know is that the government of Sri Lanka is afraid of dialogue, afraid of discussion, afraid of engagement. All I can say is shame on them. If this is how they treat me, imagine how they treat people who can't speak out and who can't make public statements.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/648448

What he says may be true, but I don't think such statements help set a diplomatic tone to the event.

Edited June 10, 2009 by capricorn

[Smallc]

So Conservatives are supporting fascism....interesting.

[jdobbin]

Any government official, in government or opposition, that traveled to a sovereign country to basically snoop around for unclear purposes should expect to be given the boot.

Very true. I don't expect any Tory to head to Sri Lanka either.

What he says may be true, but I don't think such statements help set a diplomatic tone to the event.

Harper's government has not been very diplomatic either. They are pointing out what they think some of the abuses are now.

[capricorn]

So Conservatives are supporting fascism....interesting.

You don't support the right of a sovereign nation to decide who enters and who is blocked from their country?

[Smallc]

I don't support any government that kills its own citizens en mass.

[Borg]

Any country has the right to allow or not to allow people to enter

Guess Rae is off their Christmas card list

Borg

[jdobbin]

Any country has the right to allow or not to allow people to enter

Guess Rae is off their Christmas card list

I can't imagine any Canadian MP or minister would be particularly welcome in Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lankan government is not going to want any criticism of its post insurgency policies.

[Chuck U. Farlie]

I don't support any government that kills its own citizens en mass.

Do you support the Tamil Tigers who killed their own people and used them as shields?

Too bad we can't refuse Rae's re-entry to Canada.

By the way, having a one-way ticket and trying to enter almost any country in the world is grounds for refusal. I've been forced to buy an onward ticket upon arrival in Malaysia before because I came with a one-way - I'm lucky they didn't send me back immediately.

The Tamil Tigers have been deemed a terrorists organization - the Sri Lanken government has every right to refuse entry of a terrorist supporter.