From GroundReport.com, the world's most trusted citizen journalism network.
Sri Lankan authorities today detained and expelled Canadian Liberal MP and strong critic of Sri Lankan Government Bob Rae soon after his arrival to Colombo. According to the Sri Lankan Immigration and Emigration Controller Mr.P.B Abeykoon, MP Rae was briefly detained after his arrival to Colombo International Air Port from New Delhi last night over his links with LTTE.
Expelled Canadian MP who is also the former Ontario Premier is widely known as criticizing the Sri Lankan government over the war against LTTE, as he says that there is a genocide against Tamils in Sri Lanka.
the Immigration and Emigration Controller further said that the Canadian MP's visit is not a suitable one and he was expelled from the Country for the destination he came from the very next flight. "He is barred from entering Sri Lanka," he stressed. Meanwhile, the government authorities were suspicious of his arrival to Colombo as he carried one-way air ticket.
The Ottawa government expressed their dismay and displeasure over the Sri Lankan government's decision to detain and expel the Canadian Liberal MP Rae.
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Sri Lanka deports Liberal MP Bob Rae - Yahoo! News
Bob Rae - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rae denied entry to Sri Lanka on grounds of 'national intelligence'
Sri Lanka News - A Personal Perspective | Bob Rae | MP for Toronto ...
They made tamils victims to open up indian ocean to world market.
Replenish military coffers with humanitarian aid.
That is why Bob Rae is out.
The visitors who praised this war without witness from the capital are the ones who were taken to tourist resorts for'shower'.
Humanity will prevail barring all the above.
Thanks
http://bailaman.blogspot.com/2009/06/if-canada-can-ban-george-galloway-then.html
Let me conclude with what Mr. Rae's statement:
"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"
The whole world is doing nothing to stop the genocide of Tamils by the Sri Lankan terror state. There is no need to say sorry when everything is done. The world did this in the past, they are doing it now.. They will do it again!
So when other nations intervene, Sri Lanka cannot simply say it is all "electoral politics". Isolating from the West for humanitarian and human rights matters but wants to partner for other aspects is simply not going to last forever.
Sinhala Buddhist chauvinism runs through the center of power. And the minorities are subjugated. International humanitarians have a right intervene.
As a nation that wants to be in the "community of nations" Sri Lanka cannot for long "pick and choose" what it wants and from who it wants.
Isolation will become applicable in trade, sports, investment and cultural exchanges too with the West, if there is no regard for human rights.
It's hard to blame the Sri Lankan government for this decision. Bob Rae is inherently incapable of having an unbiased opinion due to electoral concerns. Nothing positive would come out of his visit if it was allowed, apart from more votes for Rae.
He retired from politics from 1996-2006, and his formal representation of the Tamil-Canadian community therefore began in 2006. His formal involvement in Sri Lanka has covered the last decade. Easy and obvious criticism that he is a political opportunist, but harder to support this argument with his track record.
http://vannimission.org/2009/06/08/press-release-8th-june
http://www.dailymirror.lk/DM_BLOG/Sections/frmNewsDetailView.aspx?ARTID=51453
China's interest in Sri Lanka
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2009/06/137_46567.html
http://www.lankamission.org/content/view/2283/1
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/bob-rae-denied-entry-into-sri-lanka/article1176032
"The government of Sri Lanka knew my views, and granted me a visa," Mr. Rae said in an e-mailed statement. "I have flown a very long way only to be told the door is firmly shut. A review of my record would also show that I have been a champion of moderate Tamil opinion and Tamil dissent. I have been a steady critic of the abuses of human rights that were part of the LTTE's tactics."
Sri Lanka has refused entry to several foreign officials and journalists it viewed as hostile to its fight to wipe out the Tigers.
The incident, however, shows the haphazard manner in which Sri Lankan officials create “the law” and use it against anyone who voices concern for the fate of civilians.
MP Rae joins a long list of foreign politicians and journalists who have been banned from entering Sri Lanka for simply expressing dismay at the manner in which the Sinhala government and military is treating the island's Tamil population.
Despite claiming to have defeated the Tamil Tigers, Sri Lanka continues to detain 300, 000 Tamils in internment camps and keep more than half of all Tamil owned land as 'high security zone', out of bounds for their owners. Added to the barring foreign dignitaries, killing of local dissidents and refusal to open dialogue with anyone who disagrees with Sinhala hegemony, Sri Lanka looks set to breed an even more brutal variant of militants.
Even then Bob Rae MP wasn’t going in for scrutiny of the camps. He was engaged with political dialogue with Sri Lanka earlier. Why this government didn’t tell him before he made the 18+ hours journey.?
If a respected international constitutional scholar gets this treatment, imagine the plight of Tamils.
GoSL has the full backing of tyrannical powers China, Russia and Iran. They have no need to uphold humanitarian norms I guess.