Former Ontario Premier Bob Rae arrived in the capital sometime late Tuesday with an authorized entry visa. He was supposed to visit the country to meet with Humanitarian Aid organizations.
Rae’s Statement, Sri Lankan Government’s Defense
Bob Rae was denied entry because of what Sri Lankan government officials termed his ties to terrorist organization the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elan (LTTE). He wasn’t quickly available to the media, but he released a statement detailing his shock at the Sri Lankan Government’s reaction.
Rae has entered the country in various roles including Chairman of the Forum of Federations, and in his capacity as Member of Parliament (MP) in pursuit of the peace process. In a statement published by the Toronto Star, Rae called the accusations of his alleged ties to the Tamil Tigers a “lie, pure and simple.” His statement detailed his involvement with efforts to end the civil war including meetings with officials on both sides.
Bob Rae also serves as the Liberal Party’s foreign affairs critic. In the latter stages of the civil war, he urged the Harper government to become more vocal in their criticism of the Sri Lankan government. According to the Associated Press, in a website entry dated May 19th hecondemned the way the war ended saying: “The war is over, the crowds will shout. But there is a difference between a war ended by agreement, and a war ended by death and destruction.”
In other remarks published later in the same article Sri Lankan Immigration Commissioner P.B. Abeykoon alleges Rae wasn’t allowed to enter the country because of intelligence: “We got information from the intelligence services that his visit to the country was not suitable.” Media reports from the Sri Lankan capital Columbo allege Rae had only a one-way ticket.
He spent the night sleeping in the airport, and was then put on plane to London England.
Harper Government Reacts to Expulsion
The Harper Government reacted with anger to Rae’s expulsion. Foreign Affairs spokesperson Emma Welford in remarks published by the Toronto Star related the government’s disappointment: “It was unacceptable treatment of a Canadian Parliamentarian,” she went on saying it was ridiculous that anyone would think Rae would have Tamil sympathies.
Bob Rae wasn’t the only one faced with roadblocks. Conservative MP Deepak Obhari, serving was supposed to visit the country in order to inspect detainee camps. The Sri Lankan Embassy denied him a visitor’s visa because they allegedly couldn’t accommodate him. He shrugged off the denial in remarks published in the Toronto Star: “At least they saved me a long trip.”
It’s estimated Sri Lanka’s civil war has killed over 70 thousand people, and left over 200 thousand more homeless. Hostilities ended last month leaving the Tamil Tigers’ leader dead.
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