OTTAWA – Sri Lanka’s official representatives in Canada are accusing a New Democrat MP of attempting to embarrass the Asian country’s government by claiming she faced political intimidation during a visit there.
Earlier this month, Rathika Sitsabaiesan said in a brief statement she was warned by Sri Lankan officials during her private visit that she could be arrested and deported.
At the time, fellow New Democrat MP Paul Dewar said after speaking to Sitsabaiesan — a Sri Lankan native of Tamil heritage — that his caucus colleague had been followed and closely monitored by authorities from the moment she arrived.
Authorities showed up at Sitsabaiesan’s hotel one night to try to meet with her but she did not respond, Dewar said.
He said officials were concerned that Sitsabaiesan had met with a Sri Lankan MP and had visited an orphanage. The visits involved family, he added, noting the local MP was a cousin.
The Sri Lanka High Commission said Wednesday that Sitsabaiesan was on a tourist visa and had been advised not to engage in political activities that would amount to flouting Sri Lanka’s immigration laws and regulations.
It said Sri Lankan authorities handled the issue in a responsible manner, adding that Sitsabaiesan’s allegation she was subject to “political intimidation” is erroneous and an attempt to unfairly embarrass the government.
Sitsabaiesan, 32, came to Canada with her family at the age of five and was elected to the House of Commons in 2011 in the Toronto-area riding of Scarborough-Rouge River.
She played a key role in New Democrat efforts to persuade the Conservative government to boycott a meeting of Commonwealth leaders in Sri Lanka last November. Prime Minister Stephen Harper did not attend, citing the Sri Lankan government’s human-rights record. However, Deepak Obhrai, a parliamentary secretary, did represent Canada at the Colombo meeting.
The New Democrats and others have called for Sri Lanka to submit to an investigation of alleged war crimes during the lengthy civil conflict between the military and Tamil insurgents seeking an independent homeland.
WATCH: Sri Lankans gathered outside the American Embassy in the capital Colombo, protesting against a visit by a U.S. diplomat to discuss alleged war crimes committed during Sri Lanka’s civil war
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