HC Bruce Levy: Stephen Harper wanting to boycott the Commonwealth Summit in Colombo
Posted on September 16th, 2011
Asoka Weerasinghe Kings Grove Crescent . Gloucester . Ontario . Canada
16 September 2011
His Excellency Bruce Levy
Canadian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka
Gregory Road, Colombo, Sri Lanka
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Dear Bruce Levy:
I am sure there may be times in your diplomatic life that you have to bite your tongue and toe the line of your bossƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s stance on international affairs, when your conscience would want to say: ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-No, Sir, you are wrongƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦you are absolutely wrong.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
I am sure this Commonwealth Summit to be held in Sri Lanka in 2013, and Prime Minister Stephen Harper making such a song and dance about Sri Lanka GovernmentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s violations of human rights during the last five months of the Eelam war and not about the Tamil Tigers, the real culprits, when human rights violations happened during all 336 months of the war, and CanadaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ having participated in it surreptitiously supporting the Tamil Tigers. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ That you cannot deny it, nor could Stephen Harper deny it, nor his caucus.
The Island of September 16, 2011 reported that ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-HC Levy said that Prime Minister HarperƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s statement reflected that Sri Lanka had, in spite of the end to the war over two years ago, failed to address contentious issues to the degree the international community expected and wanted it to do.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ He stressed that a sustainable post-war national reconciliation process would depend largely on the restoration of democratic rights and accountability.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Bruce Levy, you know that is a lot of green-bin garbage.
Who is this ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-international communityƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ that Prime Minister Harper is talking of?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Is it Paul Martin and Maria MinnaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Canada?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Or is it Indira and Rajiv GandhiƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s India or JayalalithaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Tamil Nadu, or was it David Miliband and Keith VasƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s England? Or was it Eric SolheimƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Norway, or perhaps wasƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ it Bernard KouchnerƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s France!
What ever HarperƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”international communityƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ is, this community sounds sick, and every community member was deaf, dumb and blind to the plight ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ thousands and thousands of innocent Sinhalese and Muslims who died and some maimed for life by the Tamil Tigers, in this wretched war for the want ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ a mono-ethnic, separate, racist Tamil state Eelam,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ for the minority Tamils.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ IsnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t it?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ And the separatist-TamilsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ still keep wanting their Eelam.
O! Canada, all this horse poop thrown at me as a Sri Lanka lover, my stomach went into knots like a pretzel.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ O! Canada, not from you when you have been a perfect example of international hypocrisy, hitting at puny Sri Lanka with a Made-in-Canada baseball bat who was left to fight a 27-year long Tamil terrorist war alone, when you are helping the NATO forces with arms, men and women to go into Afghanistan after the Talibanis, andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ pro-GadaffiƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Libyans. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I love you Canada, and please love me back by giving me a break!
In a speech last week before a Toronto business audience, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said that while Canada will have ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-frank yet respectfulƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ discussions with Beijing about human rights issues, he nonetheless fully appreciated that ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-China is incredibly important to our future prosperity.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ And just in case this business audience didnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t appreciate the possible tectonic shift in Canadian foreign policy, Baird strayed from his prepared text to add: ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-My government gets it, and, as CanadaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s new minister of foreign affairs, I get it.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
But Bruce Levy, you know and I know, despite BairdƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-frank and yet respectfulƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ musings regarding ChinaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s human-rights issues, a double standardƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ has emerged in CanadaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s foreign policy, one for giant China and another for Lilliputian Sri Lanka, ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ that has little to do with human-rights records, and everything to do with the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-almighty dollar” and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Tamil votes in CanadaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. Correct?
You as CanadaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s top representative in Lilliputian Sri Lanka know very well that Sri Lanka is in no position to help with CanadaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s prosperity like China would, surely not by selling a few gunny bags of cardamoms, cashews nuts and tea to Canada each year, ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ to be sold for a profit, nor can Sri Lanka export their doctors when they cannot prescribe even an Aspirin for a headache after they land their feet on the PreCambrian soils of Canada.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ So Stephen Harper goes after puny Sri Lanka with a hockey stick that has come out of a 27-year journey through hell, to get the Tamil votes in the Greater Toronto Area, and win the next Tamil little-Eelam ridings around Markham and Scarborough.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Right?
I mentioned Canadian hypocrisy when it comes to dealing with ChinaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s human rights violations, and this is why.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Through the years Canada was lip-synching about the suppression of Tibet; CanadaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s decade-long support of British imperialism in China; the Opium war; Canadian business, missionary and diplomatic support for JapanƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s brutal invasion of China in the 1930s; the weapons and $60 million Ottawa sent to aid Chiang Kai-shekƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Kuomintang fighting MaoƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s forces after World War II; OttawaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s refusal to recognize the Chinese Communist Government for 21 years.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ This is historical amnesia about the relations between Canada and China that Harper has been afflicted with for the want of Tamil votes, and playing Pied-Piper to drag other Commonwealth countries to boycott the ColomboƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Commonwealth summit in 2013.
You are a smart diplomat Bruce Levy, and you know what I am talking about CanadaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s hypocrisy when it comes to pointing her finger at Sri Lanka, about the alleged human rights violations saying ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-We are Holier than Thou.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ What rubbish! ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ What a bunch of Byward Market baloney.
We who stole the British Columbia land from the First Nations ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” LilƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢wat, Musqueam, Squarmish and Tsleil-Waututh, and now pointing our fingers at Sri Lanka for alleged human rights violations!ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Ha!
When Liberal MP Irwin Cotler, a Human Rights lawyer and a former Minister of Justice in the Liberal Government,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ complaining to the Montreal Gazette, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-China is SudanƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s largest trading partner.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It buys Sudanese oil, Sudan uses the revenue to buy Chinese arms, and the arms are used to kill DarfurisƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦this complicity risks turning the Beijing Olympics in to a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Genocide OlympicsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ And ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ how dare Canada points its finger at Lilliputian Sri Lanka alleging human right violations.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ What codswallop!ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ And I could go on, and on.
But the bottom line is, letƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s hold Canada to the same standards that we set for Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ And Prime Minister Stephen Harper should decide most definitely not to attend the Commonwealth Summit in Colombo, and announce it now without having ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ his song and dance about Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s alleged human rights violations and stop wanting to act the corrosive Pied Piper in the Commonwealth of Nations.
I believe Prime Minister Stephen Harper, with his salvo on Sri Lanka managed to garnish all the separatist Tamil votes in GTAƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s little-Eelam ridings, as David Poopalapillai, the national spokesperson for the Canadian Tamil Congress, who defended the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ vigorously during panel discussions on Television in the early 2009ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ said as reported in EMBASSY, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-We are deeply touched by his words.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Our prime minister is simply reflecting Canadian valuesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦paying respect to human rights.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚
High Commissioner Bruce Levy, having regarded you as a decent human being, I have my doubts ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ that you will tell me, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Asoka, you are wrong and Prime Minister Stephen Harper is absolutely right.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚
Sincerely
Asoka Weerasinghe
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
September 16th, 2011 at 5:55 pm
I FEEL VERY SORRY THAT STEPHEN HARPER WILL HAVE TO BITE HIS TONGUE IN 2013. I DO NOT WANT TO SEE HIM DUMB THEREAFTER.
September 16th, 2011 at 6:29 pm
It is amusing to see how people from the so-called ‘model democracies’ have no guts to stand up and make their views known. So much for their version of democracy. I think KGB officers under Stalin would have been more democratic than this!!
September 17th, 2011 at 9:01 am
Harper was fuming even at China until the economic needs compelled him to go to China and India.
Canada is not the same Canada as it was before.
September 17th, 2011 at 2:40 pm
This threat should not be taken lightly. This Prime Minister of Caanada is staging a coup d’etat to set the stage for the overthrow of this small member of the Commonwealth who has survied 30 years of terrorism and emerging to stand on its own feet. These so called “BIG” powers are presently suffering from a huge inferiority complex and gone vertually psychopathic, being unable to comprehend how such a small country had defeated a world class terrorist organization and rebuilding a country with a 8% growth rate.
The Prime Minister of Canada has already experienced the bitter taste of terrosism, being a NATO member and engaging in Afghanistan. We Sri Lankans all this while thought he is of sound mind, but alas, he is engaging himself and dircting that great country on the path to oblivion. We urge the people of Canada to watch and assess the situation caraefully.
As far as Sri Lanka is concerned – you have to identfy yet another enemy who has just joined the bandwagon. He with other western ountries, Human Rights Organizations, LTTE rump organizations in Canada and NGOs will hatch the next plot to down grade the country as a “failed state” and destablize the whole process of reconciliation and peace. All this while this Prime Minister of Canada was a “friend”. Hallelujah – we have found the enemy cloaked in sheep clothes. Thank you Mr. Prime Minister of Canada. You hava dispelled our myth, in our terms “Maya”.
September 17th, 2011 at 3:04 pm
Never ending saga.
Playing politics with Canadian security.