Did they think they were going on a 3-hour cruise on the SS Minnow?
How much did they pay for this ride and accomodations?
Do they think theywould have been happier/better off not making the trip and just staying in Lebanon?
Posted on 07/20/2006 10:44:13 AM PDT by SJackson
LANARCA, Cyprus — It could be a long trip to Ottawa for Prime Minister Stephen Harper if he decides to mix with the Lebanese evacuees he is ferrying home.
"It was a horrible trip," one after another describe their 13-hour voyage from Beirut to Cyprus when they disembark in the scorching heat here. "People were vomiting, there were no beds, the toilets with filthy.
"There was no air conditioning and they ran out of water," one young women told reporters before storming on board the waiting buses laid on by the Canadian government.
The arrival of the Blue Dawn, the first ship load of Canadians to be evacuated from war-torn Lebanon, was supposed to a joyous occasion.
Instead, the 26 people aboard the Lebanese-owned pleasure boat were disgusted by the conditions on board, particularly when compared to the ships that rescued French and U.S. citizens which loaded at almost the same time as them in Beirut on Wednesday.
The hold-ups began in Beirut when Israel refused to let more than one ship exit the harbour at a time and the complaints just got worse as the voyage continued for six hours beyond its expected arrival time.
About 100 of those on board the boat will fly home with the Prime Minister who diverted his Airbus from Paris to Cyprus to help out the rescue effort.
But even that gesture fell slightly flat when he failed to show up at the port Thursday to greet the evacuees or visit the welcome centre the Cypriots provided them.
Canadian officials said he stayed on his plane all night and through most of the day so as not to cause the over-stretched Cyprus government even more security problems.
Ingrates!
So stay there next time then.
Sheesh, people fleeing a war zone should be kissing the ground and glad they are alive. Where did they get the expectation that an emergency evac would be a pleasure cruise?
Poor babies... at least they are STILL ALIVE....
Yeah, lets bring out kids for a glorious vacation in the Bekaa! Then lets bitch about it when our plan to vacation in a war zone fall apart! Morons..
Ahem, those are my tax dollars and they got more than they paid for, dammit.
then dont vacation in F'ING LEBANON!
I'm utterly amazed at the ingratitude of the evacuees. I just hope their comments are not being spun by the press to make it appear this way.
"Ingrate!"
Exactly!
Wait, don't tell me, they had to drink Dasani instead of Evian? On second thought, don't tell me, I don't think I could bear hearing it.
War is heck.
What a sorry bunch.
How about" We are grateful, happy to be safe and while the conditions were a little rough- we knew it wasn't forever and we would be HOME SOON"
There seems to be some confusion on the part of these people on the difference between being rescued and going on a luxury cruise. If they pick up your a** from a war zone and transport you to safety, it is a successful rescue. Never mind the bad toilets.
Sounds like the summer camp I went to as a kid.
Did they think they were going on a 3-hour cruise on the SS Minnow?
How much did they pay for this ride and accomodations?
Do they think theywould have been happier/better off not making the trip and just staying in Lebanon?
The horror!
They were being evacuated from a war zone.
Were they being bombed or shot at on the ship?
No? Then be happy.
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