Toronto Star: "Harper government should pick up where Rae was rebuffed"
Toronto Star Editorial, June 11, 2009:
Sri Lanka chooses wrong target in Rae
Bob Rae is no starry-eyed apologist for Sri Lanka's defeated Tamil Tiger guerrillas. Writing in the Star a few months ago, he described them as "ruthless at killing their opponents," undemocratic, suicide bombers and recruiters of child soldiers.
Yet in the eyes of Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa's regime, the Liberal foreign affairs critic and former Ontario premier is a Tiger supporter who must be barred from the country.
Rae is a familiar face in Colombo for his past efforts to broker peace in the 26-year civil war that cost 80,000 lives. But when he arrived on Tuesday to "discuss the humanitarian situation and the future of reconciliation," officials denied him entry on security grounds and sent him packing, even though he had the required visa.
This is outrageous, from a country that got almost $30 million in Canadian aid in 2007 and that hailed Ottawa's decision to deem the Tigers terrorists despite the large Tamil community here in Canada.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper's officials called the decision to bar Rae "unacceptable" and absurd. It is that, and more. It also follows an incident in which a Colombo mob vandalized Canada's high commission office while police stood by.
Now a distinguished Canadian parliamentarian is unwelcome because he criticized Colombo's fierce drive to crush the Tigers, amid shockingly high civilian casualties. And who has been, in his words, "a champion of moderate Tamil opinion and Tamil dissent."
This is no way for the Rajapaksa government to obtain the understanding it seeks from the international community, as the United Nations fields claims of war crimes on both sides.
As Rae says, this looks like Sri Lanka is "afraid of dialogue, afraid of discussion, afraid of engagement." Or worse, has something to hide.
The UN reports that 7,000 people died in the relentless final assault on Tiger-held areas. The Red Cross says some 300,000 Tamils are now interned in camps. And Colombo has yet to say how it intends to heal the wounds, and redress longstanding Tamil grievances.
The Harper government should pick up where Rae was rebuffed and press Colombo to move Tamils out of camps back into their homes and to respect their rights.
11 Comments
I recall an old saying those whom gods wish to destroy they first make mad.
Bob Rae, when he gave an interview at Heathrow airport yesterday, was not quite right when he said there are 2 Govts in S/Lanka - the regular one and one run by the Bros and their cohorts- who give a damn to the elected one. Many think there are 3. The more corrosive run by the Sinhala Buddhist priests, the JHU, Wimal Weerawansa's gangsters and the Sinhala supremacists being the 3rd. All 3 run in different directions often and regular clashes, therefore, will be common. Sri Lanka, sadly, is hurtling into the dark and unknown in the coming months. One feels sorry for the vast mass of the ordinary and decent Lankans of all races and religions.
ISS
ATTENTION CANADA: WE ARE NOT YOUR COLONY.
We are a Sovereign Country.... DONT EVER FORGET THAT. If you send your people to our Shores they should learn to behave themselves as they are GUESTS in our country,... just as you expect the same of our citizens who enter your country. You may be Richer and Larger than us but you seem to think we actually give a damn about that...? We Dont...
BOB RAE spoke negatively of Sri Lanka... he just earned himself a DEPORTATION back to your stupid country.... that is the reality.... We don't send our Politicians to Canada to Discuss how to run your internal politics, so what business does Bob Rae have Waltzing into ours? If you want to come to Sri Lanka you respect us, our laws, our sovereignty, our culture, language and way of life... of not GOOD RIDDANCE... our societies have existed for 2500 years compared to your few hundred years... so what if you have more money.... you are nothing but two steps from being America's 51st State... so don't dictate terms to us.
Well as Mr.Rae put it"if this is the treatment he got,What would happen to people with no voice".We have another Kim JUN or even worse.No respect for international community or his own people.All they worry about is how to eliminate the 300,000 in the camps .As these people are living witnesses of the events that unfolded during the later days of war.The sunday leader editor's death and the merciless attack on Podalla are recent examples of intolerance towards crticism from any body.Same plight will befall upon the poor IDP'S, all will be in the name of eliminating terrorism.Why doesn't the donor communities request to intervene and save these people?
There is some silly article you are circulating for and on behalf of a tamil saying we should forgive and forget and move on !! I Agree totally on certain conditions:
(a) we need a tribunal to consider the issue of genocide of tamils and who was responsible and their punishment. Should the Jews in WWII have left it at that or the Tutsis ? The countries that did commit genocide had the pleasure of witnessing the birth of new states..Turkey (their is Armenia today), Indonesia (there is East Timor today), Serbia (there is Kosovo today)...i always belive in divine justice.
(b) the death of Sri Lanka was the 1972 constitution that has made the Sinhalese absolute villagers internationally. While we see tamils communicating around the world in positions of status...where are the Sinhalese ? the worst enemise of the average Singalese are their own fascist groups...the tamils were leaders in Sri Lanka...and have now extended their reach Internationally (more to come on this in the future)
(c) Countries that saw true peace and unity dont ask the Sinhalese to learn tamil !!! Thats human right abuse as well !! (am a tamil). Indians from their own states dont learn other states language. I know cause i am Indian too !!!!!. Each one to his own...but the ignorant villagers beleives in a myth of the Mahavamsa and Sri Lanka follow those who seek power..er hum..does not that sound like Velupillai Prabhakaran,,,so was he the result or the cause ? !! Sure the villagers cant figure out what is being said and those who can...know their power is being questioner...and my tamil boy who sent the message...the Tamil people are alot more intelligent and worldly wise...Ask for an international hearing on genocide and then can move forward..like South Africa...VIVA WORLD CUP 2010 !!! Go AFRICA
It wasn't Mr. Rae's fault. All most all the politicians in the whole world failed to identify the real terrorists.
Rae is just one of them.
.
Well Done Sri Lanka.
With 300,000 strong Military and Mig's, Kfir's, MBRL's and above all with CHINA behind you, You can very well ignore (middle finger?) Canada and it's PM Mr. Harper.
:-)
Voices for reconciliation are mostly herd from the Tamils, but reciprocation from Sinhalese is yet to be felt. International Human rights bodies making loud voice to punish SriLanka. Sri Lanka is in the process of getting isolated from the Western World. Countries that aided SriLanka in the war are silent and in the process of cutting each other stealthily. In few moths time there going to be no one for SriLanka at this needy hour. Has the diplomacy failed?
Mr. Rae is a distinguished Canadian politician who had earned the respect of all Canadians regardless of their party affiliation. If the Sinhala junta thought that they had insulted him, hum…… time will tell. A few military success made LTTE arrogant, and didn’t heed any advise from wiser people. We know the recent history.
Now, its Rajapakse criminals’ turn. They only listen to orange color clothed thugs, JVP, Hela,………………and some expatriates like Irangani de Silva.
Dear Mr. Devinda
Yes your country does not send leader to advice but with a begging bowl. after all a beggar can not advice right?
We ran the country of Wanni with out a begging bowl. Do not forget that Mr. Beggar.
Bob was a paying guest. He not only paid for himself but for you too my dear friend. Remember that.
Deportation of Bob Rae is a blessing in disguise! Tamils have been trying to tell the world how racists and genocidal the successive SL governments have been - thru peaceful means and thru armed rebellion. But the world was blind!!!
Prabhakaran must me laughing in his grave - what he tried to prove over 3 decades that tamils can never live in peace and harmony with the sinhalese as long as the racist politicians govern Sri Lankan is proven beyond any doubt now!
Look what is happening in the north now - is it not proof that the successive governments have been persecuting the tamils since independence?
If the Sri Lankan governments can't give a damn about the world opinion when the whole world can see what is happening, do the world think that the Sri Lankan government will treat the tamils fairly after the all the attention of the world is gone?
Prabhakaran has proven in his death the reason for his taking arms and answering state terrorism with his on kind of terrorism!
This is what the world leaders should realize even now and stop calling the tamil tigers terrorist!
Now the Harper government had a taste of Sri Lankan hospitality, will it have the courage to lift the ban on LTTE?
The new found arrogance would not last long. It wasn't just Bob Rae who was turned back at the air port. There were others ( sent back ) who had traveled from countries such as UK, Canada either because they had Tamil sounding names or perceived to be critical of the present murderous govt. Proud of 2500 years of past history, Oh yes how about 25,000 or more newly dead. That shows along with growing poverty, thuggery, unemployment that Lanka is not going to move an inch forward as long there are people like the one who commented above, whose opinion is the prevailing one. Pride comes before fall.