By Colombo Telegraph –
“An 81-year-old Brisbane doctor was locked in a small cell without food, water or toilet access for more than five hours yesterday before being deported back to Australia from Singapore. Dr Brian Senewiratne, a Sri Lankan-born Australian who has been a long-time critic of the Sri Lankan Government over its treatment of Tamils, was on his way to Malaysia and Indonesia to speak at forums on the Tamil refugee issue.” says Tamil Refugee Council.
Dr. Brian Senewiratne
He said yesterday he was locked up during his Singapore airport stop-over after being told he was not permitted to enter Malaysia, or travel to Indonesia. “They told me I was being deported straight back to Australia under a clause on an immigration card that said ‘ineligible for the issue of a pass under current immigration policies’,” he said.Dr Senewiratne said that when he asked what was the current immigration policy that would prevent him from travelling, the security officer said it wasn’t for him to say. “I arrived in Singapore at 5a.m. on Friday and was put in a 10 feet square ‘box’ for five and a half hours with asylum seekers and refugees. There was no food, no water and no toilet. At 81 it was no walk in the park,” said Dr Senewiratne. “Then an armed policeman, with live bullets in his revolver, took me to a waiting plane. My passport was given to the captain to be locked up in a security safe during the flight and released to security staff in Brisbane. I arrived back in Brisbane at 9pm last night.He said he was going to ask his local MP in Brisbane, Kevin Rudd, to take action on his behalf. He will also be writing to Foreign Affairs Minister, Bob Carr. “It is just outrageous, “ he said.
“If an Australian citizen is barred from talking to people in Malaysia and Indonesia about the refugee crisis, which involves them, then we are living in a very bad world. And if the Australian Government doesn’t do something then, as I said on the plane to the staff, an Australian passport isn’t worth the paper it is written on. I would rather have a passport for Guatemala.”
Dr Senewiratne, who is Sinhalese but actively supports the Tamil cause, said he believed he was arrested in Singapore because he was going to speak to an “invitation-only” forum in Malaysia about the humanitarian crisis with refugees. “My speculation is that the Malaysian Government told the Rajapaksa Government in Colombo about my trip and it asked Malaysia to tell Singapore to stop me. Or Malaysia instructed Singapore off its own bat,” he said.
Dr Brian Senewiratne‘s articles on Sri Lanka;
The Death Of A Newspaper – The Sunday Leader
Brian Senewiratne: Deterioration Of Human Rights In Sri Lanka
Psychiatric Disorder: An Analysis Of Gotabaya Rajapaksa
Why Bishop Joseph And His Roman Catholic Clergy Have Been Targeted
An Open Letter To Sri Lankan Anglican Bishop, Shantha Francis, Kurunagala
Dr.Brian Senewiratne’s Public Lecture At Charles Darwin University
The Life Of A Sri Lankan Tamil Bishop In Danger
Channel 4 Videos On Sri Lanka: Background Is Essential
UN Human Rights Council Meeting Another Farce
Independence Day: A Day For Action, Not Mourning
The Critical Situation facing the Tamil People in Sri Lanka
Bedrock Barney / December 17, 2012
Brain Seneviratne is one of the few who had the “cajones’ to say it like it is. However, his shrillness drove away many right thinking Singhalese thus he was unable to build a domestic following. He was always in the company of separatist leading people to think that he was on their payroll. He is 81 and unknown entity among his own Sinhala folk in his own country. Perhaps he should wind down the roadshow and consider a retirement rife with bitterness.
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Sam / December 18, 2012
His behaviour can be labelled attention-seeking. In his old days it appears he craves attention, and the best way to achieve this, he has found, is to sing to the Tamil diaspora gallery. Thus he gets invited all over the world to give speeches so that Tamil extremists can hail “look! A Sinhalese person is speaking against Sri Lanka!” Without attention and glory, I doubt this man would last another week. Have a look at his latest interview to the Australian media, he sounds hysterical when the radio host questioned him on what happened in Singapore. He claims he is going to complain to Kevin Rudd and the UN and get Navi Pillai to table a motion at the Human Rights Council about his arrest and detention in Singapore. Now if that isn’t a lunatic speaking, I don’t know what is.
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Bedrock Barney / December 18, 2012
Yeah, that crazy. He is now officially…
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Bedrock Barney / December 19, 2012
This comment was removed by a moderator because it didn’t abide by our Comment policy.For more detail see our Comment policy
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Bedrock Barney / December 19, 2012
YES HE IS OFFICIALLY A UNBALANCED SENIOR!
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Bedrock Barney / December 19, 2012
Public service announcement:
Words such as Man, old, crazy etc are not to be used!!! They extremely offensive. Nor will they be posted
Words such as: Asshole, fuck, shit! Are acceptable. There are not in the least offensive. Also they will be posted
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Sam / December 18, 2012
Good hob singapore. Brian has no principles – if he did, he would speak about the gross human rights abuses perpetrated by the Tamil Tigers as well. But he does not mention any of that when he goes on his anti-Sri Lankan rants.
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Native Vedda / December 18, 2012
Sam says:
“Brian has no principles – if he did, he would speak about the gross human rights abuses perpetrated by the Tamil Tigers as well.”
Let him speak about the gross human rights abuses perpetrated by the state.
I speak about the gross human rights abuses perpetrated by the state and the LTTE.
When are you going to speak about the gross human rights abuses perpetrated by the state if you think you are principled person?
I am still awaiting.
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KT / December 18, 2012
You can’t fool all the people all the time. Terrorist is a Terrorist and you will be exposed at some point.
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Ranjith / December 18, 2012
Singapore is a clean country. They do not like DIRT
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Native Vedda / December 18, 2012
KT says:
“You can’t fool all the people all the time.”
I hate to agree.
However Sri Lankan state and its rulers have been fooling all the people all the time since the island’s independence.
You say:
“Terrorist is a Terrorist and you will be exposed at some point”
I hate to agree with you again. Is your comment aimed at Sri Lankan state and its rulers? If it is then I agree completely with you.
How long did it take you to discover the obvious?
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Senguttuvan / December 18, 2012
I am inclined to agree with some of the positions taken by Barney. Brian can hold on to his views and fight for justice for the Tamils without isolating neutral Sinhala audiences. The views he expressed earlier “I will fight for the Sinhalese with equal zeal if they were placed in the situation of the Tamils” need to be better known in the Sinhala South of the Island. His toxic language against the Sinhalese often goes to harm the Tamil cause as well, regrettably.
Still, the Lankan Tamil Nation owes much to Battling Brian for his principled and relentless campaign on their behalf for many decades.
Senguttuvan
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c weere / December 18, 2012
Man’s a loony, those who follow this fruit cake are in need of help. He even claimed to be the cousin of the ex-president, must be the ex-president of the of the Loony Tunes Association. Some one had the courage to send him back, well done, Malaysia does not need such trouble makers especially those in the pockets of the LTTE.
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K.A Sumanasekera / December 19, 2012
Dr B Seneviratna is a politbureau member of the TNGTE ,the offspring of the LTTE, lead by the PM Mr Rudrakumaran.
This is according to media reports in Srilanka.
I am not sure about Reader Sengutuan’s assertion that the whole of Srilankan Tamil Nation owes much to this Doctor for services rendered as not all Tamil people obeyed the LTTE leader Mr Prabakaran.
Also it is an insult to the Tamil persons like Mr Kadiragarmer whose productive life was cut down.
Sinhala Nation however will say thanks but no thanks to reader Sengutuan’s advice and recommendation.
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Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / December 19, 2012
I will not question the sincerity of Dr. Brian Seneviratne. He is a honourable man and laments what befell the Tamils in Sri Lanka over several decades. He sympathies are with victims, who happen to be Tamils in this instance. I am sure he would sympathise with the Sinhalese, if the circumstances were reversed.
Unfortunately, Dr.Seneviratne has not lived in Sri Lanka for several decades and hence relies on media reports for his information. It is obvious he relies on the pro-LTTE /-Eelam websites heavily. He has never to my knowledge acknowledged the misery wrought on the Tamils by the LTTE . He has also identified himself with the LTTE and its successors a bit too closely. He has also failed to give ‘ His Devil’ the dues , when deserved. This makes his concerns sound shrill and one sided. This bias has tarnished his objectivity, while definitely not bringing into question his concern for the Tamils.
The Tamils are fortunate to have a Sinhalese of his calibre ,background and age speak on their behalf, but unfortunately his obvious bias has robbed him of the high ground.
A voice of sanity that could have been heard by the Sinhala people, has become a cry in the wilderness as a result. A great loss for this country. Sri Lanka has lost the healing touch she very much needed from a superb physician with a heart!
Dr. Rajasingham Narendran
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Senguttuvan / December 19, 2012
Reader Sumanasekera takes his prejudice too far. I cannot recall making recommendations or offering advise to the Sinhala Nation – of which, strictly speaking, there are three???
I have no intention of getting into an unnecessary dispute and nor do I have the time/inclination to educate the ignorant. But the fact
Lakshman K’s Tamilness stops with his name has been sufficiently debated while he was alive and after. The man could neither read nor write Tamil although he made an unsuccessful effort to speak the language at the latter stages. Who (one or many) was behind his unfortunate killing also remains a mystery todate although the Tigers remain first suspects for one reason or the other.
Senguttuvan
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Narada G / December 19, 2012
Well Done Australia !! Singapore Government does not tolerate Terrorist supporters to enter its soil unlike Australia.
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shankar / December 28, 2012
Singapore is a bully to treat an 81 year old man like that.It is a small country of only 700 sq.km.It is just a city only.One day it will feel what it is like to be bullied and ill treated by someone else and that day won’t be far away.Other countries in asia have still not got their act together to topple singapore from its lofty perch,but once they do and become competitive,this city that calls itself a country is a goner.
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