Krimaalipolitiikkahan täällä tavallisen rahvaan keskuudessa aika yksinkertaista. Mutta löytyykö Suomen rajojen ulkopuolelta ääniä, joiden mielestä Suomi kunnostautuu jotenkin erikoisesti? Tässä eräs ääni Kanadasta:
Imagine living in one the most peaceful cities in the world, Hargeysa, Somaliland capital for the past two decades, and finding out one morning that a cold-blooded convict is not only loose on the streets of your city, but also no one knows what he looks like.
To make matters worse, the convict in question didn’t escape from a maximum security prison, but Finland sent him to your city without notifying Somaliland authority or warning Somaliland public.
Now don’t forget, Finland deported this hard-core criminal because he is a threat to the Finnish people. But what about the Somaliland people, isn’t he a threat to them? Or maybe through the eyes of the Finnish authority the lives of Somaliland people are not as important as those of Finnish people’s.
Today, in this so-called civilized world you would think things are changing for better—after all this is a global village. Or is it?
If a Finnish person is kidnapped in Somaliland, Finland authority expects cooperation from Somaliland government, and would rely on the local security forces to apprehend the hostage taker and free the captive. However, when Finland decides to deport Somali criminals, it would not even notify Somaliland that callous convicts are on their way, much less help to either lock them up or rehabilitate them. So much for global village hollow mantra!
What if Sweden sneaks a Finnish criminal back into Finland without informing Helsinki and he/she commits heinous crimes. The diplomatic row between the two nations wouldn’t only cause an embarrassment but would show lack of responsible judgment from Sweden’s part that sending the criminal to his/her birth country without taking proper procedure is a criminal act itself. Deporting a criminal without communicating with the receiving nation is unthinkable.
Somaliland authorities made efforts to contact their Finnish counterparts by sending a letter through the convict’s lawyer. However, in an utter disrespect for Somaliland authority, Jorma Vuorio, the director-general of the Finnish Immigration Service mocked Somaliland government. Mr. Vuorio instead of responding to Somaliland properly, he states, “It is possible to get just about any forged document you care to name in Somaliland. Anyone can get hold of anything from there, even a passport if required”.
http://english.horseedmedia.net/news/8771.shtmlFinland not only smuggled a dangerous criminal into Somaliland, but it [Finland] also showed a total disregard for Somaliland laws. Mohamed Osman, Somaliland’s Minister of Return Migration and Reconstruction, couldn't hide the frustration of his government with Finland as he stated, “Finnish officials have not responded to us in any way. We interpret this as hostility toward us, and are very disappointed.”
http://tinyurl.com/awj2tmWhat if the convict unleashed a crime spree in Hargeysa and put the criminal skills that he mastered in Finland into action?
When a Finnish convict moves from one city to another within Finland, the locals are well informed in advance. For crying out loud, why couldn’t the Finland authority at least contact Somaliland?
Also, since Somaliland already has an agreement with a number of North American and European countries with respect to deportees coming back to Somaliland, why Finland disregarded Somaliland government?
Now, whether Finland sees Somaliland as part of Somalia is irrelevant at this point. But Finland authority’s disregard for Somaliland and International law is what the fuss is all about.
Understandably, the Finnish government has every right to get rid of foreign convicts that remain a threat to its citizens. But that doesn’t give Helsinki the green light to ignore the Somaliland government and endanger public safety. What’s good for Finland is also good for Somaliland.
Doubtlessly, the Somaliland people in Finland are grateful to the Finnish people’s hospitality and the generosity of the Finland government. And there is no doubt that the Somaliland-Finnish community will bridge the gape between Somaliland and Finland.
However, sending convicts to their original country is a controversial and hypocritical policy practiced in the West. For instance, as long as you are excelling sports, music and other entertainment venues, you will be a national hero in your host country. But once you commit crimes regardless of how long you have lived in your host country, your evil acts will associate with your birth country.
Here in Canada, once a Somali-Canadian individual commits a crime, Media reports, “A Somali man/woman did this and that…” No mentioning whatsoever that the criminal is a Canadian citizen and spent all in his/her life in Canada, so need for mentioning Somalia. Some offenders were in fact born in Canada and have never seen Somalia. But had the same criminals excelled in sports—boy oh boy, now we are talking about true Canucks who breathe Maple leaves.
To sum up, although the Finnish government showed a total disregard for Somaliland government and for Somaliland people’s safety, the damage is reversible. For Finland to avoid another blunder, it should establish an office in Hargeisa. Similarly, Finland should encourage Somaliland to open a diplomatic office in Helsinki.
In the near future, before sending hard-core criminals to Somaliland, Finland should take a number of things into consideration: can Somaliland afford to lock up these types of criminals? Are maximum security facilities available? What about the safety of Somaliland people? Is Finland’s action in accordance with International laws?
As for the Somali convict, he served his time and got deported to a country that doesn’t entertain criminals. No doubt that he is now bitter and has nothing to lose. Then of course, he poses more danger to Somaliland than he did to Finland.
Dalmar Kaahin
dalmar_k@yahoo.com