The Past Speaks

John Moore, a Toronto-based journalist and commentator, had a great column in the National Post on the Tamil refugees. See here.

I’m not going to pronounce on whether the Tamils should be allowed into Canada because I know little about the state of ethnic relations in Sri Lanka. However, I am wondering to what extent the Sinhalese-dominated government of the island wanted this boat to leave. It takes a great deal of diesel to get to Canada. Who gave it to them? What were the motives of the government officer who gave issued clearance papers to the ship? [I’m assuming the boat actually cleared a legitimate port with harbour master appointed by Sri Lankan government].

Admitting the Tamils into Canada seems like the compassionate thing to do, but it might be aiding and abetting ethnic cleansing. After all, if governments can rid themselves of unpopular minorities by giving them enough diesel to make it to a liberal democracy, you will have a  powerful incentive for ethnic cleansing.  Sending your minorities is Ethnic Cleansing Lite– you can get rid of them in good conscience because you know they are going to end up Toronto high-rise apartments, not squalid refugees camps or mass graves.