Britain snubbed as Bermuda takes in Uighurs

| 12/06/2009

(Tines Online): Britain was left scrambling to assert the vestiges of its colonial authority yesterday after Bermuda welcomed in four former Guantánamo detainees under a secret deal with the United States. British officials knew nothing of the arrangement until the men, all ethnic Uighurs from western China, were already airborne en route from Guantánamo to the British island territory, better known as a haven for tourists and tax exiles than former terrorist suspects. Alarm bells sounded in London when Ewart Brown, the Bermudian Premier, welcomed the men as “landed in Bermuda in the short term, provided with the opportunity to become naturalised citizens and thereafter afforded the right to travel and leave Bermuda, potentially settling elsewhere”.

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  1. Anonymous says:

    "Now some UK ones: …Bermuda $92,000 …Cayman $43,800"

    Man, those Bermuda dudes are kicking our butts.  What gives?

    • 8 year old git says:

      "Now some UK ones: …Bermuda $92,000 …Cayman $43,800"

      Man, those Bermuda dudes are kicking our butts.  What gives?"

      Unless these GDP per capita figures are calculated on a purchasing power parity basis they are pretty meaningless. I think you will find that the Bermuda figure is not.  An apartment in Cayman is cheap by comparison.

      In any event it is these seemingly impressive but mostly meaningless statistics that in the past that has made Cayman the target of the OECD, FATF and the US Govt.  

  2. anoin says:

    "If the US thought these four being allowed to go to Bermuda were really terrorists, they would not have allowed them out of  Guantamano Bay. "

    If they were so innocent why where they held for 7 years without trial? and does the US not take them in?

  3. Anonymous says:

    I didn’t realise any of those hwld in Gitmo has been charged with any crime, so they must all be innocent,  I wonder why the US didn’t resettle themselves in the US if they are not dangerous?

    If you think Bermudans are happy think again, they have called a vote of no confidence in their leader for this

    As for the guy who thinks to become a US protectorate, the US treats them so well, lets look at their GDP’s

    Puerto Rico $19,600

    Guam $21,000

    Now some UK ones:

    Bermuda $92,000

    Cayman $43,800

    The most heat about Cayman is coming from the US and you want to join them LOL

    Caymanians would probably be Cubans by now if the British didn’t care

    • Anonymous says:

      If the USthought these four being allowed to go to Bermuda were really terrorists, they would not have allowed them out of  Guantamano Bay. 

      The US is anxious to pare down the population at GT, and if it can work a deal with Bermuda, why not?  All power to Bermuda for its political coup.

      As for the UK caring, their only concern is likely the slight to its sovereignty over Bermuda.  It is all about protocol. 

  4. Anonymous says:

    Dear Uncle Sam,

    If you get us on the White List (we deserve it anyway) , and let us have US immigration pre-clearance here (like Bermuda has) we’ll take 4.

    Withe warmest regards and personal best wishes

    The People of the Cayman Islands

    P.S. Your Majesty, Happy Birthday. We love you but your Ministers are @$$holes  Can you imagine that only  5 years ago your Governor here awarded our citizenship en mass to many deserving, but also, many undeserving persons against the wishes of our people, and your Ministers did not care. Now our sister territory decides to help 4 deserving souls at the request of our friend the USA and the UK has the gall to freak out. Wow – imagine if they took 3,000 and their families like we were forced to. No wonder the UK is increasingly a second rate power. Your moral authority has disappeared – a shame, because once the UK was great – and its word was its bond. We hope Bermuda issues them British Passports and gives them  fares to Millibrand’s constituency.

    Your humble and obedient servants

    The People of the Cayman Islands

     

     

    • Enlighten You says:

      How many confirmed terrorists were included in that 3,000 now?  There’s a bit of a difference.

  5. Gajaba says:

    Hey Miliband, you deserved to be treated like this by USA !!!

    In April this year, Mr. Miliband went to Sri Lanka along with the French foreign minister to save the lives of leaders of LTTE (most ruthless terrorist organization in the world) from being wiped off by the Sri Lankan government.  He got the full support from Hillary Clinton as well.  He begged the President of Sri Lanka to allow these terrorists for a safe passage to a third country (Norway).  Sri Lankan government quite rightly turned him down. Mr. Miliband also projects himself as an international human rights champion and has a soft heart for terrorists.  So why is he upset about these innocent Uighurs getting a safe heaven in Bermuda ???  England has given refugee status to suspected terrorists in the past.  LTTE had its official Headquarters in London untill recently. Even right now they turn a blind eye to these LTTE guys. They openly demostrate in London streets and collect funds for terror activities. 

    Issue here is Bermuda managed to get onto OECD White list with USA influence in return for settling these 4 persons.  Gordon Brown & Co could not keep them in the Gray list until London financial center recovers from the current financial disaster.  Bermuda did the right thing by showing a long finger to UK.  Well done Bermuda !!!.  Keep up good work.

    Cayman should have a special advisor attached to the LOGB office to advise on geo-politial matters and to exploit situations similar to this.  otherwise, UK is not going to help us in OECD matters or any other adverse international political situations which could threaten our financial services industry in the future.  We need to be proactive. They are waiting to see the day we start eating bread fruit and turtel meat so that we will really become dependent to UK.  Even now, there may be some more statelessinnocent terror suspects in Guantanamobay.  Why not we contact White House through our lobbiests in Washington for a deal.  No point waiting for OECD, UK will keep blocking us from moving up at any cost.  We have signed enough bilateral tax info agreements according to Sir Tony.  So time to act.

  6. Richard Wadd says:

     Jubba: You are a shining example of a ‘half-educated dim-wit! Go and get a proper Education and then (perhaps) you will be in a position to make sensible, founded commetary.

    "The more I learn, I’m become aware of how little I know……"

    I agree they need … : Another idiot! Leave the protection of the UK (EU), a group of Civilised Nations, and swap that for the USA, a nation who will wage a war on another Soverign Country (based on a lie) so that it can ‘steal’ thier natural resources for itself… now consider that BOTH the Republicans and Democrats have a ‘Hard-on’ for us …… ??? At least in the UK, when politicians are ‘found wanting’ they have the dignity to step aside (or else be pushed).

    As for ‘Independence’, think TAXES, think ‘Goodbye Offshore Financial Sector’ … loose our ‘Stability’ and loose the money.

    But maybe we don’t need the Finance Industry, just like Pirates week, it’s overated …. right?

    No, stick with the ‘Evil’ you know, unless we are left no other choise, but avoid the US at all costs.

     

     

     

     

     

  7. Anonymous says:

    TICKLED PINK!!

    • Anonymous says:

      Anyone who thinks that this is anything else but the Us trading this "favor" from Bermuda in order to get the OECD to take them off the gray list only has to look at the timing of the two events.

      Who can blame the Bermuda government for capitulating and making a deal with them should look at the way the goal posts keep changing for the Cayman Islands and read the shameful remarks made by Gorden Brown about us.

      The Bermuda Government after getting NO support from Britaln found a different route, one that if they had told Gorden Brown about would certainly been vitoed by him as he wants all the overseas territiries to be poor and dependent on nonexistant handout promises from them.

      Yopu go Bermuda, at least now you are on the white list. I wonder what will eventually be required of Cayman to get off the Gray list.

  8. Mark says:

    To Jubba

    I can guarantee you England didn’t get rich from Jamaican Sugar money. Maybe African Gold and diamonds but not sugar.

  9. Jubba says:

    Todays Caymanians are alot smarter than our foreparents when it comes to our relationship with our so called mother the U.k. Most of our foreparents thought that the royal family was holy and first cousins to Jesus Christ. The Cayman Islands is like a bad dream to England all because they cannot profit from us, Caymanians, remember England became a powerful and rich nation because of slavery and  building up on cash from sugar plantations in Jamaica, Barbados and other islands.Cayman is a burden to England,do you all think the U K really care for us?If England and other European Powers of 500+ years ago could’nt  profit from the  West Indies their influence would’nt  be here today and these beautiful islands would be populated by Caribs and Arawaks instead and we would remain in our home of Africa and Europe.Its time for The Cayman Islands to move on,its time for us to get our own flag , its time to sing our own song and its time for us to set our own rules.Many will want to disagree but i can guarantee everyone that mama England  would  happily be the first ones to agree…………………….

  10. Anonymous says:

    I agree! We need to get away from the UK! Dear ol mother country does NOT care about us in any way shape or form!

  11. Anonymous says:

    What a great move for Bermuda – I can’t think if anything better than giving former terrorists suspects a free ride to paradise etc – after all they are innocent right?  If there are a "hundred more Bermudas" what a wonderful place they will be to live. I would jump at the chance of having my country filled with former terrorist suspects…………whom of course are all innocent church going harmless beings……

  12. Anonymous says:

    Cayman need only reflect for a moment on quickly the UK Gordon Brown attacked the Cayman Islands. Not for a moment did Gordon Brown seemindly contemplate or reflect in his words that every law in the Cayman Islands is approved by the UK, but yet he condemned the Cayman Islands in the eyes of the world as being some ‘Tax haven’ that should exist no more.

    The UK needs a hundred more Bermudas – and maybe – in exchange to get off the ‘grey list’ the UK helped put (and continues to keep us on) Cayman should give them Passports and allow them to travel to the UK without visas.

  13. Anonymous says:

    was this the price to get on the OECD white list?

  14. Anonymous says:

    I agree they need to worry about their bigger issues and stop sticking their nose in other’s business, I say Cayman let’s go independent and have a security agreement with the USA where they would be our protectrate. You really believe the UKcares if we breath?

  15. Anonymous says:

    The UK deserves nothing less.