Accused of supporting Tamil rebels, Rae is barred from entering Sri Lanka
Bob Rae, Liberal MP, was barred from entering Sri Lanka and is set to be back in Canada Thursday morning. After arriving from New Delhi late Tuesday night, Rae, who was travelling two officials from the Canadian High Commission, was stopped at Bandaranaike International airport and prevented from passing through immigration. According to Sri Lankan Immigration Commissioner P.B. Abeykoon, Rae’s visit was deemed “not suitable” after officials accused him of supporting the Tamil Tigers. In an interview with CBC Newsworld, Rae said he was shocked at being turned back after having secured a visa “through all the diplomatic channels.” Rae added he was in Sri Lanka “to meet with a number of officials in the government,” as well as representatives from NGOs and other groups. Canada gave asylum to more than 300,000 ethnic Tamils who fled from Sri Lanka in the 1980s, and the Tamil community in Canada has held a number of anti-Sri Lankan rallies in recent months.