Posted on 06/11/2009 10:43:27 PM PDT by Schnucki
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”.
The men are in the country as “guest workers”. Under the British Overseas Territory Act of 2002, citizens of Bermuda were restored with the full rights of British citizenship, including the right of abode in the United Kingdom. Bermuda has control over internal affairs, including immigration, but not over foreign affairs, defence or security matters, under which, London made clear, the case of the Uighurs falls.
In a statement shortly after their arrival in Bermuda, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office chided authorities there for failing to consult London on their decision to admit the men and insisted that security assessments must be carried out before their future was decided. “This was a decision of the Bermuda Government,” the FCO said.
“We have underlined to the Bermuda Government that it should have consulted the UK on whether this falls within their competence or is a foreign affairs or security issue for which the Bermuda Government do not have delegated responsibility.”
The Foreign Office noted that the Uighurs — Huzaifa Parhat, Abdul Semet, Abdul Nasser and Jalal Jalaladin — do not possess any travel documents and so would
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
Naturalized citizens? 0 et al are inviting an attack. This is criminal!
Maybe on the way there they’ll disappear in the Bermuda Triangle?
Did they all get an Ipod?
How much money did Zero pay Bermuda?
What does Britian care. They’ve allowed themselves to become the defacto islamic radical refuge country on the planet and well on their way to Sharia Law.
He just launders money through there and they can’t afford to lose the business!
But wait, isn’t HE a British citizen, too?
Once again Obama thumbs his nose at our greatest allies.
Once again he thumbs his nose at us. These people are being taken to a lovely island, given all the perks available, and being released to do whatever they want: go back to the US (which isn’t very far away), rejoin their jihad in some other country, or start one there.
This is like rewarding them.
Bermuda must have needed a Chinese restaurant. How about Number One Jihadi for a name?
Uighurs aren’t Chinese. They are of Turkic origin with some Tocharian (Caucasian/European blood). They used to be Nestorian Christians until the time of Timur.
Interesting! I didn't know that.
Faux rage. They can look good without suffering any of the consequences.
They were picked up in Afghanistan. They have never been to the US.
He’s giving $200 million to Palau for the guys they’re taking. Quite a pay-off for them to just be put on an airplane and released, though it’s really to save face for Dumbo.
That’s true - I guess Bambi will have to show them around in Air Force 1 then.
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