Australian Parliamentarian Lee Rhiannon who was detained and questioned by Sri Lankan Immigration authorities for breaking immigration laws by attempting to hold a press conference, was issued her Special Projects Tourist Visa by Colombo’s Consulate in Sydney, an Australian newspaper reported.
Lee Rhiannon
Rhiannon told Fairfax media that she was advised to obtain a special projects class visas as a visiting parliamentarian.
“The people in the Sri Lankan consulate in Sydney approved the visa and there was no problem with it,” The Australian quoted her as saying.
Sri Lanka’s Consulate in Sydney is headed by Consul General Bandula Jayasekera, now in Colombo for CHOGM.
He told The Australian that the MPs were not being detained by immigration or deported, only being asked not to address the media because it breached the conditions of her tourist visa.
Ms Rhiannon was in the country on a ‘Special Projects’ class Tourist Visa, which she says, as a visiting parliamentarian, she was advised to obtain.
“They said that we had broken the law, and I challenged them on that. We obtained the correct visa, we followed their advice on which visa to obtain, the Australian government alerted the Sri Lankan government to our visit and about what we’d be doing. We followed the rules at all times,” the Australian Senator said.
Rhiannon and New Zealand Green Party MP Jan Logie were both detained by Immigration Officials who shut down a press briefing they were scheduled to hold at the office of the Tamil National Alliance in Bambalapitiya this morning.
The two MPs had been on a fact finding tour to Sri Lanka and travelled to the North where they said they had seen evidence of serious human and legal rights abuses. The two MPs were to issue a damning media statement at this morning’s press briefing, implicating a senior military commander in the abuse of women living in the North.
Don Stanley / November 10, 2013
The Rajapassa Military Dictatorship is showing through the Facade of Democracy – put on for tourists and the CHOGM circus!
The “Security” Games that the mentally deranged Gotabaya Rajapakse plays are visible for all to see despite the SPIN!
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Thiru / November 11, 2013
A relevant note.
Martin Vickers, Conservative MP, UK:
Clearly there has been genocide taken place in Sri Lanka and the International Community needs to take the issue much more seriously and investigations should take place.
Source a video clip in English, above is a transcript by me from:
http://www.tamilwin.com/show-RUmrzBSVMZit7.html
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archiemedes / November 10, 2013
“Rhiannon and New Zealand Green Party MP Jan Logie were both detained by Immigration Officials who shut down a press briefing they were scheduled to hold at the office of the Tamil National Alliance in Bambalapitiya this morning”
This means the Immigration Department 1. detained them and, 2. shut down the press conference. Doubt the Immigration Department had the jurisdiction to do 2.
All told, the paragraph quoted seems poorly written. We come to this website for accurate information, so please report properly otherwise we leave this website confused and misinformed.
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Spring Koha / November 10, 2013
Stop being pedantic, archiemedes.
In this country our government officials do what they are told to by whoever the political honcho is at the time.
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Rohan / November 10, 2013
Lee Rhiannon got more publicity than she could have gained from a press conference. The Australian media and the Tamil supporters will go on full swing on Monday. International media will also pick up a lot.
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srilal / November 10, 2013
these two Ladies must be following Bishop D Tutu’s cheap publicity strategy then ? pl don’t forget to add that LTTE label as well.
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PalmSquirrell / November 11, 2013
Desmond Tutu must be a crypto-Tiger !
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Mikhael / November 10, 2013
We know this Greens party here in Australia and campaigned for them during the 2010 election. I left the party when I heard of their sympathy for the LTTE movement in Australia whilst calling for boycotts against Sri Lanka for war crimes. Ironic isn’t it? Reading this gets me angry because she seems to have zero respect for the culture and the way things operate here. It’s almost like US invading Iraq to harsher extent. Her party has more or less given up on pushing for war crimes against superpowers like the US as well as NATO so targeting third world country Sri Lanka will really boost their egos. Whether you agree or not with how every little thing works here in relation to the government, causing tension between Sinhalese and Tamils after 30 years of war should be a crime in itself.
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Spring Koha / November 10, 2013
Quite right Mikhael!
I hope these people are campaigning as eagerly for the injustices suffered by the aborigines. Then again, the aboriginal people are only to blame for their own plight. They should have repelled, when they had the chance, all the gubbah scum who piled in to their bit of dreamland and condemned them to their present shitty state.
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Abhaya Premawardena / November 10, 2013
they are , they have asked for a boycott of all australian made goods in support of the first nations .. lmao !! :)
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sach / November 11, 2013
Exactly these people needn any justice or dont give a damn about HR. They are like career activists. They have big egos and want to look like big people who has done something. As their chances of attacking US, UK are rare who are the real war criminals, they target countries like SL where they can hope for some success.
I wonder where they were past 30 years, during LTTE terrorism. SL gov shouldnt give them visa at all. And shouldnt give them any significance in the future.
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RajasH / November 10, 2013
Hope Prince Charles and Camiila have a work permit not a tourist visa….
..if not they will be sent pack in the same flight…by the vigilant immigation officers
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JimSofty / November 10, 2013
These MPs are silent against their own govt’s atrocities against Australian Aboriginals.
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Senguttuvan / November 11, 2013
It is because travel facilities to arrive in Sri Lanka for matters connected with CHOGM are made difficult by GoSL, media persons and MPs from abroad are forced to seek other alternatives. Tastelessly showing the door to both these MPs does not end the matter. Both Govts concerned are likely to protest to the shabby treatment to their Parliamentarians. The regime can condition and otherwise intimidate its own MPs, which probably has become a habit. Trying the same thing with those from abroad is likely to be duly resisted.
From information available, both were to attend and make a Statement in the premises of a major representative political party. This appears to be perfectly reasonable and legal. What is being attempted by the Police and the Immigration authorities is to convey only news acceptable and approved by the regime will be permitted. That is the culture of a Police State that has no place in what even Kamlesh Sharma would unabashedly call as “Commonwealth and Lattimer House principles”
Senguttuvan
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Navin / November 11, 2013
Senguttuvan, I read that FCO has prevented some UK MPs from participating at the CHOGM because they held views contrary to PM and FM of UK. What do you say about that? Since often times we in SL go by British standards, don’t you think we should have simply denied VISAs to these two esteemed women?
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Snowdon Asange / November 11, 2013
esteemed? coz they are part of the cruelty caused to the Maori clan? These people still abuse the Aborigines… and took away their rights and LAND… People who throw stones need to be careful b4 they indulge in doing so… HUMBUGS… They deserved to be deported…. the way they deport Sri-Lankans… A taste of their own medicine…
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sarojini / November 11, 2013
SL may be a poor country , but it is not a playground for foreigners. They have travelled to SL ON A HOLIDAY VISA and organised Press
conferences .Shows the callous disregard for SL immigration rules . Many countries deport visitors for various violations . UK, USA, AUSTRALIA ARE NOTED FOR THIS . How come SL is exempted from this rule ??? They must not think that their devious approach is acceptable to SL.
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Fair Dinkum Aussia / November 11, 2013
Can someone tell me what is wrong with
Sri Lankan officials. The other day
they sent off two Australians working
for an international organisation.
Yesterday an Aus MP and a New Zealand
MP were expelled (the Controller does not
want to use the workd deported). How
come?
The accusation is that they were getting
ready to address a press conference. What
is wrong in that. They would have been
happily allowed if the press conference
was to sing hosannas for the Government.
In the action they took, has the Controller
of Immigration taken over powers of the
External Affairs Ministry? It is they who
should decide.
The Government declared public demonstrations
will not be allowed. But the protest by two
dozen sarong johnnies (there were three or
four wearing trousers too) who protested against
Channel Four were permitted at a high security
zone, the Colombo Airport.
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