SRI LANKA DETAINS AND EXPELS CANADIAN SHADOW

C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 000601


DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INSB

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/10/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV EAID PREF PHUM CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA DETAINS AND EXPELS CANADIAN SHADOW
FOREIGN MINISTER

Classified By: CHARGE D'AFFAIRES JAMES R. MOORE, FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AN
D (D)


1. (C) SUMMARY: Sri Lankan immigration authorities,
apparently acting on instructions from the Defense Secretary,
detained Canadian Liberal Party Member of Parliament for
Toronto Bob Rae on arrival late on June 9. (Rae's
consituency has a large Tamil minority.) Rae had previously
requested and received a visa for a private visit; he was
seeking to visit IDP camps and meet senior Sri Lankan
officials. The Defense Secretary characterized Rae as an
"LTTE sympathizer." The Foreign Secretary said that Rae's
statements in the Canadian Parliament on Sri Lanka were
"unacceptable" and accused him of attending fundraisers at
which the LTTE flag was displayed (Rae denies that charge).
Despite repeated interventions by the Canadian High
Commissioner with senior Sri Lankan officials, the GSL
refused Rae entry unless he signed a statement essentially
disavowing his earlier positions on Sri Lanka's crisis. Rae
refused to do so, and departed on June 10 on a flight to
London. The incident does not augur well for bilateral
relations or development cooperation between Sri Lanka and
Canada. End summary.


2. (SBU) Bob Rae, Liberal Party Member of the Canadian
Parliament and the foreign affairs "critic" (shadow minister)
for his party, was detained on arrival in Colombo's
international airport shortly before midnight on June 9. He
was not permitted to enter the country, despite having been
issued a visa for his private visit. Rae represents central
Toronto, an electoral district with a large number of Tamil
constituents. Rae has been outspoken in calling for the
Canadian government to take a more active role in settling
the conflict in Sri Lanka. In an op-ed piece in the Toronto
Star in February he criticized both the LTTE and the GSL for
the suffering they were causing to civilians. He had visited
country several times previously and maintains contacts with
a wide range of Sri Lankans.


3. (C) According to Canadian High Commission staff, the
purpose of the visit was to assess conditions in the IDP
camps and gain a firsthand understanding of the current
situation on the ground. Meetings were requested with Senior
Presidential Adviser Basil Rajapaksa, Disaster Management and
Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe and Foreign
Secretary Palitha Kohona. Foreign Ministry informed the
High Commission that since Rae was not coming on an official
visit, they could not secure these appointments, but the High
Commission could try to arrange them directly. Permission to
visit Manik Farm was requested and, on June 10, denied.


4. (C) Canadian High Commission staff who met Rae on arrival
contacted Foreign Ministry officials late last night and
asked for them intervene with the Controller of Immigration
who was denying him entry to the country. The Canadian
Deputy High Commissioner told Charge that Bogollagama
undertook to do so. Rae was detained through the night by
security officials in the business class lounge of Sri Lankan
Airlines, accompanied by High Commission staff.


5. (C) On the morning of June 10, Canadian High Commissioner
Angela Bogdan contacted Charge to request cell phone numbers
for Defense Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa and other
officials, which he provided. Rajapaksa did not take
Bogdan's call, but responded to her text message as follows:
"I know his background. He is an LTTE sympathizer. I have
read his speeches. We are not going to allow him into the
country."


6. (C) Foreign Secretary Kohona told High Commissioner
Bogdan on June 10 that Rae was not being allowed into the
country because of "unacceptable" statements in Parliament
and because he had attended LTTE fundraisers at which LTTE
flags were displayed. (Comment: Rae flatly denied the latter
charge.) Bogdan reported to Charge that Kohona offered on
the morning of June 10 to strike a bargain whereby if Rae
would sign a statement he would be allowed into the country.
The statement, paraphrased, read: "The statements attributed
to me on the situation in Sri Lanka were made without full
awareness of the ground situation, which I regret. My visit
is intended to build bridges and strengthen bilateral
relations. This is a private visit and will not be used for
political purposes." Rae refused to sign the statement, and
departed on a flight to London early afternoon June 10.


7. (C) Comment: The refusal to allow Rae, even though he
had been issued a visa for this visit, to enter the country
is indicative of the current course of the government in
silencing dissenting voices. The decision represents a lost
opportunity for the GSL to explain its perspective and sends
a highly negative message to the Canada's large Tamil
Diaspora. Coming just two weeks after police allowed
protesters to demonstrate in front of and cause limited
physical damage to the High Commission, despite advance
requests from the High Commission to keep the protesters at a
reasonable distance from their building, the incident does
not augur well, at least in the short-term, for cooperation
between the two governments in meeting Sri Lanka's pressing
humanitarian needs.


MOORE