Wikileaks Cables: Bermuda’s First Mention
Bermuda has received our first passing mention in one of the Cables being released in the so-called “Cablegate” – the release of over 250,000 secret documents by the Wikileaks website.
The mention came in Cable #09PARIS933, entitled “France Open to Examining Six New Guantanamo Detainee Files”.
The Cable was classifed as “confidential” and “noforn”, which means no foreigners, and orginated from the Embassy in Paris.
Bermuda received a small passing mention which follows: “Chevallier’s expert on this issue, Martin Julliard, asked about the financial payments the U.S. is providing to Bermuda and Palau upon their acceptance of the Uighur detainees. Fried clarified that U.S. funds are intended to cover reimbursable expenses only and are minimal.”
Wikileaks said the full set consists of 251,287 documents from US officials and international diplomats, and that they will be released in stages over the upcoming months. The UK’s Guardian, which had advance access to the documents, says the data dump contains 27 documents from the Bermuda US Consulate from August 28, 2009 and February 23, 2010 – meaning the cables being released started after the Uighurs were resettled in Bermuda.
Germany’s Der Spiegel, who also had advanced access, has a graphic [pictured below] showing the same 27 documents, saying they are listed mostly as ‘unclassified/official use only.’ Wikileaks data indicates 68 cables reference Bermuda in some manner, with this first one [which is not tagged with Bermuda] likely to be one of the 68.
Each Cable is ‘tagged’, and VexedBermoothes has a comprehensive breakdown of all the tags/dates of the Bermuda Cables, with the tags including: Internal Governmental Affairs, Economic conditions, External Political Relations, Visas, Human Rights, Avian & Pandemic Influenza, Criminal Activity, Women Issues, Europe, Social Conditions, Security, Assistance to Citizens, Financial & Monetary Affairs, Terrorism Finance Traffic, Narcotics, Intelligence and more.
There is no timetable for when the documents relating to Bermuda will be released; it could be imminently or months down the road.
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- Uighurs Bermuda Guantanamo Bay WikiLeaks Barack Obama | Bernews.com | December 3, 2010
I wonder if ma boy Doc Hollywood is watching all this unfold and if there is anything in it that will give him some good press while he was king of the roost and his sidekick “ok boss”…watch this space!
Define “sidekick”…..
I know the truth is killing you. This may someday turn out to be a real ‘closet full of thousands of shoes’……………………………
Lumpia anyone?
ok did our former Premier/Minister Burch say that we DID NOT receive any compensation for accepting the Uighers? Just wondering can’t remember what was said back then?
Former Premier Dr Brown said we got $100,000 per man for relocation expenses…
Actually, that $100,000 per man was payable to the Uighurs themselves as a relocation expense. It was not paid to Bermuda.
THEY were given $100,00 by the U.S Government, WE weren’t given anything. Now, as for Ewart…….
I think the public needs to know the details of this transaction that took place. Minimum was paid for their expenses. $400,000 for the 4 of them. What did this cover? How was it paid? Did they get off the plane with a suitcase full of greenbacks, or was it paid to the Accountant General? Paula Cox should answer these questions. Let the public know the checks and balances. If Bermuda was paid by the U.S.. Government then the Auditor General needs to investigate and advise the Attorney Generals Office. The U.S. Agents involved will never give out any information to the Bermuda public, because it was an undercover illegal operation.Was $400,000 or $4 Million paid to Bermuda or?
The mistake is taking anyone’s word in that whole ordeal. There’s a reason they were smuggled in at night.
…oh, and I forgot to mention my wife got a house in Martha’s Vineyard!
…connection? Or just slander attempting to disguise as wit?
Bernews… How accurate is Wikileaks ?
Very……the US Government is not disputing the cables, or that any of previous Wikileaks releases are legit. Officials have as good as confirmed they are the ‘real thing’.
They have to be legit. Why do you think there’s so much commotion over it? Can’t have the public knowing the truth, can we? It’s better to blind em with bullsh#t( Christian Dunleavy’s words I believe).
So it looks like we took on four suspected terrorists (forever) just to facilitate Ewart’s photo op with Obama.
Don’t forget that the photo will last forever too so no big deal I’d say.
“Four suspected terrorists” that were found innocent in a court of law… twice. Four men that were wrongfully arrested and imprisoned.
The biggest tragedy, I think, in this whole thing, is that this could have been done in such a way as to instill pride in being Bermudian and taking these men in.
Instead, it was, seemingly intentionally, done in the most aggressive, belligerent and divisive way possible.
And that’s a shame.
Not to forget sneaky.
Innocent, not guilty – whatever you say they apparently weren’t innocent enough for the USA to take them. The USA – who in fact caused this mess in the first place. They found a gullible enough leader who was star struck and egotistical enough to get a photo op and then tar his country forever with these suspected terrorists. Sorry, but that’s what they are!!!
Elvis, you are correct in saying that we could’ve done it with much more class. Class is obviously not something the good doctor possesses. A very sad situation which is not going away any time soon. Thsi decision will have far reaching effect for our island. Worst of all, we are STUCK with these guys FOREVER! They may never be able to leave Bermuda.
There is nothing gullible about Ewart Brown. He made a calculated, secretive decision for something that likely only he and a select few ( Burch, Slayton perhaps?) have benefited from. There is a reason why this entire ordeal was handled secretly locally, while it was international news what Paulau got for taking Qighurs at the same time. You think the people of Paulau didn’t know those men were coming to their country before they arrived? Whereas in Bermuda, they’re smuggled in at night, and we only find out about it the next day after they’re here? The entire situation stinks to high heaven.
Fortunately for Brown, he knew that Bermudians are far too passive and divided to make a real stand against it. Hence why he said ‘this too shall pass.’ He knows ultimately Bermudians (collectively) stand for nothing.
Let’s not forget the fact, and it’s an indisputable fact, it has to be said before I get labeled a “hater” or whatever, that Dr. Brown lied to the House and to the people of Bermuda shortly after they got here when he said that they had been vetted by the local police when they hadn’t.
But back to the original point, ‘the truth shall set you free’ says “Innocent, not guilty – whatever you say they apparently weren’t innocent enough for the USA to take them.”, which is a misrepresentation, which is exactly the problem. Everyone was against Guantanamo Bay, thought it was unAmerican and blah blah blah… until it came time to deal with it. Then it became “Not in my back yard!”
These men were found innocent twice. They were unlawfully held for 7 years for no reason.
As a Bermudian, I have no problem taking them in and feel a little bit proud that the majority of my fellow Bermudians that I talk to don’t either. Taking them in is the Bermudian thing to do.
How it was done, obviously, wasn’t.
But that’s not their fault, is it?
Just sayin’. Haven’t these guys gone through enough? Isn’t it time to stop calling them “suspected terrorists”?