Bermuda's Detainee Stance Angers UK

LONDON — Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband says he has complained to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton after the United States struck a deal with Bermuda to offer a new home to four Guantanamo Bay detainees.

The four men are Uighurs _ Muslims from western China. They arrived in Bermuda last week.

Miliband says Bermuda, a British overseas territory, shouldn't have agreed the deal without consulting London.

Britain handles defense, security and foreign affairs policy for Bermuda, an Atlantic resort island.

He told lawmakers on Tuesday he has protested to Clinton about the arrangement.

Comments

[pniks]

ok LiberTLover, we get the point - you don't like the Premier. Get over it and move on!

[Academic]

Bermuda is a self-governing country that can claim its independence whenever it wants to. The sheer arrogance of the unrepresentative government in the UK headed by an unelected PM really dismays me. Gordon Brown like his predecessor Tony Blair and most of the UK's cabinet have hands dripping with blood and are considered by most of us Brits as war criminals.

What the Bermudans have done is an act of Christian humanity since even the US has long recognized that these men are innocent of any wrongdoing. And for my country to do all it could to stop Augusto Pinochet being extradited to Spain for war crimes and crimes against humanity, yet to have a so-called UK government trying to obstruct the Bermudan government and p[people from doing what they want in their own country just beggars belief.

It's sheer hypocrisy and not surprising to me.

Professor Dr. Stanley Collymore.

[Agent420]

Grow up you British twits.

[saffron 75]

UK? Do they count anymore save as rubber stamps?

[brics]

at the end of the day, Clinton and Miliband are laughing very hard. Of course this is just a game to distract China. Wonder when/if China sign some trade deals direct with Puerto Rico? That would be interesting to watch.

[Maka]

I was just listening to All Things Considered on NPR, http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1054900344) and they spoke to one of the Uighurs in Bermuda (through a translator) and he said the guards at Gitmo treated them all differently than the other prisoners since it was known the men were innocent of any wrong doing, but there was no place to put them. But he said they were happy to be in Bermuda and grateful for the home. I hope the UK calms down about this bit of politics.

[judiNJ]

Meanwhile, the Bermudians are warmly welcoming the Uighurs and offering help in their settlement. Good for Bermuda.... I knew I loved that little country.

[EducatedObserver]

Quite apart Mr Obama's amusingly desperate search for miniscule islands to house the detainees in exchange for countless pieces of silver - in order to "resolve" the Guantanamo Bay quandary - there is something fishy about this Bermuda story.

I cannot imagine that this new government could be so breathtakingly inept as to fob the detainees off onto what is essentially a colony of Britain - a major US ally - without consulting the British first.

I can only conclude that the UK knew this was going to happen, and agreed to play this little diplomatic game for Mr Obama's benefit.

[kdogg]

Got any theories about black helicopters?

[bdaved]

It's not an unlikely scenario.

[nerakami]

It has been reported that these 4 men were held prisoners for 7 years with no charges brought against them now any evidence of terrorism for charges to be brought up in the first place. Shouldn't it be these 4 men who are outraged for 7 years of their lives taken away from them?

[SFkid]

Good for these four Men, I hope they live in paradise for the rest of their lives and become leaders of Bermuda ;)

[aspizon]

Milliband must think Bermuda is like Cuba was, waiting for marching orders from the East.

[bichn]

Are we afraid of what they will do since being released after seven years of incarceration for no apparent reason? Well maybe we should have thought about that before we decided indefinite detention with no trial just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time was appropriate. Unbelievable. But the rethugs will have you believe we did nothing wrong ever and we ceratinly did nothing to inspire terrorists. Righ.....they hate us for our freedom....whatever....

[Eagleman]

Do you want to spend rest of your life in sunny Bahamas paid for by the US government?

The qualifications are:

1. You should be a Muslim
2. You want to kill people of other faith - Jewish, Christian, Buddhist and Hindu
3. You should have committed few terrorist act. (Special bonus points if you plot some act within USA)
4. You should have hired a lawyer from ACLU
5. You should have MSNBC or CBS or NBC cover a news story about you.

[TheDude2008]

There are many things wrong with your statement but I'll just state the most glaring error, it's Bermuda not the Bahamas.

[Eagleman]

I stand corrected Bermuda not Bahama.

Thanks for pointing that out and one more correction - forgot to include ABC and CNN

[LiberTLover]

Dont' forget that you should be cleared by the Bush Administration, who stated that they never should have been in jail in the first place, and still kept in jail for years in minimum security, then cleared by the Obama administration, making your first three points totally false.

[CaptainObvious]

These individuals were never even charged with a crime, let alone ever stood trial.

We're basically taking the Chinese Government's word that these guys are terrorists.

The only "crime" these individuals are guilty of is being born Muslim. Apparently, for some of the radical fringe elements in our country, that's good enough to lock them up for the rest of their lives, incommunicado.

[bichn]

EXACTLY!

[kdogg]

My only response to people like this is my favorite line from Billy Madison:
"What you have just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things i have ever heard. Not once in the rambling incoherent statement do you say anything resembling a rational thought. Everyone in the room is dumber for having heard it. I award you no points and may g*d have mercy on your soul."

[Yalegirl03]

I second that!

[judiNJ]

No, you should be Bernie Madoff.

[globality]

God screw the queen

[PiscesPrincess]

the Queen has nothing to do with this. get a grip.

[posttheist]

UK in bed with China in some way. It must ruin some diplomatic deals that UK wanted with them...

[PiscesPrincess]

It would say you are probably spot on, with that supposition. thanks

[LiberTLover]

No, the Bermuda Constitution requires that the UK Govt be consulted on such matters. The Premier of Bermuda made this decision on his own whiole with two pal Cabinet members in Washington a few weeks ago and never even consulted the rest of the Govt. As a British colony, Bermudians are accorded various rights from Britain such as a British passport and traveling privileges. The Premier tried to say that he thought it was an immigration issue but has now admitted that it is a matter of foreign policy and the UK are now doing their normal due dilligence.

[Agent420]

Somewhere along the way the Brits lost their bollocks and are now afraid of 4 men who got swept up by circumstances. If I was held for 7 years without any recourse, I would be a little pissed, but these guys seem to hold no malice toward anyone. Like us, they just want to live.