Unwelcome In Canada

"Canada is also very concerned about recent media reports that suggest that Eritrea is using consular premises to collect a 2 percent tax on Eritrean Canadians using coercive methods.  Using consular premises would contravene the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and the use of coercive methods could be criminal."  John Baird, Minister of Foreign Affairs

This is, in very fact, the type of letter that should have been sent to organizing members of the Tamil Sri Lankan community living in Canada.  Giving them fair warning that activities undertaken within Canada to pressure Sri Lankans to contribute 'taxes' to be forwarded to aid and assist the Tamil Tigers was seen to be illegal within this country.

It's never too late for any government of any country to exert its authority on such matters.  And a letter that Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird forwarded to Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh Mohammed was in keeping with the responsibility of this country to state unequivocally that Canada will not host such activities.

This followed the UN Security Council's release of its latest report on an arms embargo that it had imposed on Eritrea.  The UN Monitoring Group stated that Eritrea was continuing to violate the embargo, and was using violent means to collect funding in countries, including Canada, with that money earmarked for military purposes.

"The Eritrean authorities continue to rely heavily on extraterritorial taxation among Eritrean diaspora communities to generate hard currency.  The Monitoring Group has confirmed that the collection of such taxes routinely involves threats, harassment and intimidation."  

Eritrea has no embassy in the nation's capital.  What it does operate is a consulate, located in Toronto.  Which, according to the UN investigators, was busy raising funding for military purposes using a 2% 'income tax' imposed on members of the Eritrean diaspora.  Refusing to pay ensures retribution.

"According to a recent Royal Canadian Mounted Police assessment, which is consistent with the Monitoring Group's own findings, refusal to pay the tax often results in denial of service or threats against, or harassment of family members still residing in Eritrea, or possible arrest of the individual should they travel to Eritrea without paying the taxes alleged to be owing."

One man who responded to this extortion that he was unwilling to contribute to Eritrea's military budget had the consulate refuse to renew his passport.  He turned to Canadian immigration officials with the argument that he would be violating UN sanctions, giving money to the Eritrean military.  He "had no choice but to pay the entire sum" to have his passport renewed, since Immigration insisted he must have a valid passport before he could be considered for permanent residency.

"We encourage anyone who may experience this type of intimidation to contact local police authorities and/or the RCMP.  Our government stands firmly against terrorist organizations and those who support them", insisted Mr. Baird's press secretary, who said government will review findings on matters such as the one cited above.  Obviously Foreign Affairs and Immigration need to consult.

A journalist who fled Eritrea, living now in Toronto, explained that Eritrean-Canadians are now beginning to speak out about the fund-raising of the regime, one of the most repressive in Africa.  "The Eritrean consulate in Toronto has been undermining Canadian law for years.  It extorts Eritrean-Canadian citizens, community centers and churches to collect money illegally."

His recommendation is that Canada take steps to shut down the consulate office entirely.  Eritrea has supported the fanatical Islamist al-Qaeda-associated Al Shabbab (Somalian jihadi youth), as well as other militant groups, and engages in trafficking of weapons, some of which are headed for the Middle East. 

Canada clearly needs to do some house-keeping.  It should start with making the Eritrean consulate persona non grata, and move on to the Embassy of the Islamic Republic Iran making a clean sweep, ridding Canada of its presence, under the current regime.