John Baird & The Commonwealth Summit in Colombo
Posted on August 2nd, 2013
Asoka Weerasinghe Kings Grove Crescent . Gloucester . Ontario . Canada
1 August 2013
Hon. John Baird, PC. MP
Minister of Foreign Affairs, House of Commons, Ottawa
Dear Minister John Baird:
There was much humour in what I read in todayƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s ColomboPage which said: ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Baird denies sending Sri Lanka Commonwealth summit RSVPƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It continued ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-July 31 (CBC)ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird denied reports Tuesday that he has confirmed plans to attend the Commonwealth summit in Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
Then your Rick Roth said according to the news item, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-But BairdƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s spokesman Rick Roth says the minister has yet to decide whether he will attend the meeting.
ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Roth says the minister remains concerned about the Sri Lankan governmentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s lack of accountability over allegations of war crimes against ethnic Tamils in the aftermath of the countryƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s long civil war that ended in 2009.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚
You are kidding, arenƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t you John?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ You are not serious about your concerns about ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-accountabilityƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ are you, now.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ My goodness this is heavy stuff!ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I thought that you couldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t care two little pebbles washed onto our Brittania beach about Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Looks like I was wrong, but Hey, John, you got a long way to go to convince this card carrying Conservative that you are right.
But moreƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ on the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-humourƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ side of this news story.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I am sure there would be many Sri Lankans who would be disappointed not to see large banners across Colombo ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ during approaching days of the Summit saying, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-The Isolated Canada Circus is Coming to Town, with their main pit-bull Song and Dance attraction, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-I will slay you Lanka ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ for the Tamil VoteƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Shucks! Too bad!!
LetƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s get some facts right here, John.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The Song and Dance routine by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, and our former Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Jason Kenney had absolutely nothing to do with human rights in Sri Lanka but everything to do with fishing for the Greater Toronto Area Tamil-Canadian bloc vote ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ for the Conservatives at the next federal election.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Those ridings will make or break the Conservatives forming the next government, right? ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ John, now that there will be a serious three way contention for the Tamil votes with the young Liberal leader Justin Trudeau going around with photo ops having his arms around the shoulders of young Tamils at events in Toronto, and NDPƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Rathika Sitsabaiesan going around saying that she came to Canada when she was 5-years old because she was fleeing discrimination, when she wouldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t have understood the word D-I-S-C-R-I-M-I-N-A-T-I-O-N at that age even if it was parachuted down from heaven onto her hop-scotch rectangles underƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the mango tree on Babi dolls, obviously is a concern for us Conservatives.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Right, John?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I have been a Conservative since Reform days.
I donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t think you cared two prairie straws, nor two capelin washed onto the NewfoundlandƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Middle CoveƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ beach or we would have heard a protesting pip-squeak from you, when almost 300,000 Tamils were held captive as a human shield by the Tamil Tiger terrorists for 30 months and herded like unwashed cattle from the west coast to the east coast ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ northern Sri Lanka with the provisoƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ that anyone who tried to leave would be shot dead, while the Tamil Tigers were fleeing from the advancing Sri Lankan soldiers before they were eliminated on 19 May 2009 on the shores of Nandikadal lagoon ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and the 300,000 Tamils were liberated.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Now you talk of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-accountability of human rights violations.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ThatƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s a bunch of baloney hanging from a stall at the Byward Market, John.
You know what John?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ When that event happened, when every other nation in the world was patting Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s back saying ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Way to go, Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, for getting rid of the most ruthless Tamil Tiger terrorists in the world, Canada had difficulty to do that in case the Conservatives would antagonize the vote feeding Tamil community, so our former Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon released a pathetic Press Release. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Read it John. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Not a pat on Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s back saying ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Good Show, Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ And that said it all about CanadaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s policy on Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ And when Sri Lanka liberated 295, 873 Tamils who were held as a human shield by the most ruthless terrorists in the world, Canada ignored that biggest liberation of people held by terrorists in reason history.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ And not a word about it until now. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ And that said it all about CanadaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s policy on Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ And that is the ground reality, John.
The fact is, the Conservative caucus has difficulty to believe and accept that the defeat of the Tamil Tigers, once the worldƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s most ruthless terrorists, having had their butts whipped by the Sri Lankan soldiers after a 27 year war that killed 100,000 innocent civilians, has done wonders for the people of Sri Lanka of all ethnicities, which includes Tamils.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ No more fear of being blown up at random by Tamil Tiger IEDs; kids able to go to school safely, and the Tamil kids not being kidnapped for their Baby Brigade, when over 5,700 Tamil kids had been kidnapped and trained as soldiers and thousands killed by ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ red bullet wounds, liked scythed red poppies in the fields of Afghanistan, along the mythical EelamƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ front-line.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Instead, Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s economy is booming and blooming with the peace dividend which is being enjoyed by all, especially the islandƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Tamils in the North and East.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The first democratic elections will be held on 21 September after 30 years.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The world knows itƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and so do you, John.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Just cut out your pit-bull persona and be honest with yourself.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ If not it will be a case of, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-MirrorƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦mirrorƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦on the wallƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦who is the liar of them all?ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚
If you want to isolate Canada from the other Commonwealth nations, it is your prerogative.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ And if you want to disappoint the Sri Lankans by not taking ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…- The Isolated Canada Circus to TownƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ for the Summit, that should be fine too.
So for Pete sake, stop your song and dance routine ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ on this issue, John, and please donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t take your Circus with you to Colombo. The Commonwealth Summit can do without Canada.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ And believe me, it will flourish too.
Sincerely,
Asoka Weerasinghe
August 2nd, 2013 at 4:56 pm
Good one Asoka! Keep those idiots educated.
August 2nd, 2013 at 10:42 pm
Well said Asoka!
All this rhetoric can suddenly change if Canada’s integrity is compromised and a situation arises where Canada is confronted by the viles of terrorism. Little do Canadians realise that Canada has truly become vulnerable because of unconditional admission of anyone claiming refugee status where already there are indications that the vulnerability has been breached. The RCMP has done a terrific job of staying on top of any security threats but the LTTE element that has infiltrated Canada still remains one of the most dangerous terror groups despite having gone underground and for Canada to take this stance over Sri Lanka’s methodology to eliminate them which is what all the hooing anf haaing is about is simply a double standard brought on by the covert operations of the LTTE friendly Tamil Diaspora who seem to have pulled the wool over the Canadian Administration.
August 3rd, 2013 at 1:57 pm
Sri Lanka is rapidly emerging on the world stage on many fronts. The fact that Sri Lanka will be hosting the commonwealth of nations summit for the first time in her modern history is just a harbinger of what is to come. If Canada wants to stay away from this summit so be it. Though being the second largest nation by size she is not an economic powerhouse.
As the article pointed out Canada’s stand is motivated by politics. After the election is over maybe Canada will be whistling a different tune. to date I have read in many Sri Lankan internet newspapers of trade with nations that voted against Sri Lanka on the human rights issue.
Obviously one has nothing to do with the other. Many nations have been accused of human rights including India and China and yet the same nations that engage in such accusations are also involved in foreign direct investments by their governments and a larger portion by the private sector of these nations where politics is the last issue in their board rooms.