Australian Senator deported
Posted on November 11th, 2013
Bandu de Silva
As a former Consular man (Policy level), I can say that the issue of visa or refusal is a sovereign prerogative that states enjoy. The‚ decisions cannot be questioned. so are any conditions applied to‚ different categories of visas. These have to be meticulously observed.‚ sri Lankans go through much humiliation at foreign Embassies in‚ getting visas. I think that applies even to Cabiney Ministers. The two Greens, MPs from Australia and New Zealand‚ may be big noises‚ in their respective countries but they cannot expect to take the law of another country into their hand and brazenly proceed to violate the condition of their admission to the country. That absence of civility‚ on the part of law -makers of another country apart, here is a case of an open challenge to a sovereign country. It was not a simple offence or an omission or oversight which could be overlooked, but a
deliberate challenge to the laws of a sovereign state. They were going to address a Press Conference at the TNA HQ in Colombo. That was a‚ planned affair and not something which happened accidentally. The TNA‚ itself bears responsibility for joining in helping in‚ breaking the laws of the country. This is something the govt will have to tackle.
As a former accredited Ambassador of this country I have suffered‚ humiliation at the Immigration Counter (Border Police) at the Roisy Airport in France umpteen number of times‚ but I ignored these as the officials were exercising the sovereign prerogative of their country. In Switzerland, the President himself interrogated me and even threatened to refuse my credentials appointing me as Ambassador, for what he said “meeting our enemies”. That was for meeting the Opposition member in Bundes (Parliament) which was somethings accidental. The Councillor just barged into my Hotel room with his Secretary‚ as soon as I arrived in the Hotel when I opened the door thinking the baggae porter had come. This is the way countries treat incidents.
Leaving out the circumstances, I had to remind the Swiss President that I had perhaps made a mistake thinking that I was in the Capital‚ of the “most democratic country” in the world. That was,perhaps, a response he never expected from a diplomat of a Third World country. That ended the matter. Prez J.R.Jayewardene himself later received the Councillor in Colombo.
This anecdote should illustrate how countries of the so called “democracies” respond.
I am very much in dialogue with my Australian friends but they would not expect their MPs or Ministers or even Prime Minister or Governor General to break a law of their own country, even such a thing as a traffic offence, not to speak of sex offences.‚ That is also the situation in the west. even the Royalty are penalised.
The only contrary remark I can make is that the Govt f Sri Lanka‚ should not be seen discriminating. It should apply the law equally on everyone, including its own citizens and politicians.
November 11th, 2013 at 4:06 pm
Whenever toilet nadu misbehaves, we should summon the Endian HC and give the clown a earful.
But SL is afraid of Endia.
November 11th, 2013 at 5:25 pm
I do not know much about the Greens party politician from NZ, but she seems to be similar to the Australian Greens politician, who is a notoriously biased politician, willing to endorse Tamil separatists sentiments without verification. Se is a disgrace to Australia and the world must not think all Australians are like her.
November 12th, 2013 at 8:10 pm
Sir,
I thank you for sharing your precious remembrances with us. I realize I am addressing my former immediate superior at the Sri Lanka Embassy in Paris.
I sincerely hope you and your family are keeping well and happy.
Talking about visas, perhaps it is also opportune to mention some stark facts on the subject.
Formerly the visa was the guarantee of entry into a country. NOW IT IS NOT SO.
The Sri Lankan passport does not elicit the normal courtesies due to a nation.
To mention some harrowing personal experiences, I was made to realize this in somewhat humiliating circumstances in some South Asian countries.
In Thailand at the passport control, the officer shouted out in the hearing of all that he had no respect for the Sri Lanka passport.
In Cambodia, I was picked out from the rest and detained for two hours by the immigration police before being very reluctantly allowed to proceed, and that only when the manager of hotel where I was booked in. made an appearance on my behalf.
More recently in Indonesia, the same process was repeated. When I reached the passport control counter, the man immediately got up and led me along a long corridor and ushered me into the police quarters for interrogation.
All this happens in view of all queuing up for the visa control.
Today obtaining a visa means very little, the final word is that of the Immigration Office and the Police.
Mario Perera
Kadawata
November 12th, 2013 at 11:45 pm
Mario,
Your visa experience is a DIRECT RESULT OF THE CRIMES THE EELAMIST TAMIL DIASPORA HAVE COMMITTED during the last 30 years while travelling under Sri Lankan passports, and because Sri Lankans are now viewed as DESTITUTE economic immigrants searching for GREENER PASTURES outside Sri Lanka.
In this cruel world, NO ONE loves the POOR, EVERYONE admires the RICH! So, let us BECOME RICH together!
THAT IS WHY Sri Lanka’s Primary Unwavering GOAL SHOULD BE to achieve President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Vision of becoming the NEW WONDER OF ASIA that NO Sri Lankan citizen would want to LEAVE, and ENVIOUS citizens of EVERY OTHER NATION pine to visit and enjoy, but cannot afford to because it COSTS TOO MUCH! Then, it will be OUR TURN to judge them!
To achieve that, we must ENFORCE the RULE of LAW in Sri Lanka, HOLD Sri Lanka together by CONTROLLING and SUPPRESSING the Separatist ambitions of the Eelamists led by the TNA, HOLDING them ACCOUNTABLE for their CRIMINAL activities, and DEVELOP a solid infrastructure, and a modern self-sufficient THRIVING economy with a clean and sustainable environment that will propel Sri Lanka into the top rank of the wealthiest nations of the world.
This is not a PIPE DREAM, but an EMINENTLY ACHIEVABLE one. Given the SOUND FOUNDATION laid since INDEPENDENCE, we Sri Lankans have all it takes to achieve that DREAM if we work with UNWAVERING FOCUS, INDOMITABLE COURAGE, and IRREPRESSIBLE INDUSTRY towards it.
When Sri Lanka becomes that New Wonder of Asia, ALL of these HUMILIATIONS Sri Lankans experience abroad today will VANISH without trace, like a bad dream of a bygone age.
A Sri Lankan passport will then become a treasured credential RESPECTED, HONORED and ENVIED by the rest of the world!
Ask not why the glass is HALF EMPTY, when it is in fact HALF FULL!