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“As a refugee, my family fled a country” SL born billionaire responds to criticism

19 January 2022 11:31 am - 12     - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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Sri Lanka born billionaire investor and minority owner of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors Chamath Palihapitiya responded to criticism over his comments where he has said that “nobody cares about China’s treatment of the Uyghur minority group”

Chamath Palihapitiya, a billionaire venture capitalist who owns a small stake in the Warriors, made the comments on an episode of his podcast “All-In” that was released on Saturday.

On Monday, Mr. Palihapitiya, 45, who was born in Sri Lanka, moved to Canada when he was a child and now lives in California, said in a statement posted to Twitter that after re-listening to the podcast, “I recognize that I come across as lacking empathy.”

“As a refugee, my family fled a country with its own set of human rights issues so this is something that is very much a part of my lived experience,” he said. “To be clear, my belief is that human rights matter, whether in China, the United States or elsewhere. Full stop.”

During the podcast, Palihapitiya’s co-host Jason Calacanis, a tech entrepreneur, praised President Biden’s China policies, including his administration’s support of the Uyghurs, but noted that the policies hadn’t helped him in the polls.

Palihapitiya replied: “Nobody cares about what’s happening to the Uyghurs, OK. You bring it up because you really care, and I think it’s nice that you care — the rest of us don’t care.”

Nevertheless, his original comments were condemned by several public figures who have spoken out against China’s human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region.

Later in the podcast, Mr. Palihapitiya, the founder and chief executive of the venture capital firm Social Capital and a former executive at AOL and Facebook, called concern about human rights abuses in other countries “a luxury belief.” He also said that Americans shouldn’t express opinions about the violations “until we actually clean up our own house.”

On Monday, the Warriors minimized Palihapitiya’s involvement with the team.

“As a limited investor who has no day-to-day operating functions with the Warriors, Mr. Palihapitiya does not speak on behalf of our franchise, and his views certainly don’t reflect those of our organization,” the team said in a statement.

Palihapitiya’s comments were made on the All In podcast. He was discussing why Joe Biden’s support for the Uyghurs had not helped the president’s poll ratings

“Let’s be honest, nobody cares about what’s happening to the Uyghurs,” Palihapitiya said. “You bring it up because you really care, and I think that’s nice that you care. The rest of us don’t care.

“I’m telling you a very hard, ugly truth. Of all the things that I care about, it is below my line.”

He added that caring about human rights around the world is a “luxury belief”.

“The reason I think that is we don’t do enough domestically to actually express that view in real tangible ways,” he said. “So until we actually clean up our own house, the idea that we step outside our borders, with us morally virtue-signaling about someone else’s human rights record, is deplorable.”

The Warriors soon distanced themselves from Palihapitiya’s comments. “As a limited investor who has no day-to-day operating functions with the Warriors, Palihapitiya does not speak on behalf of our franchise, and his views certainly don’t reflect those of our organization,” the team said in a statement.


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  Comments - 12

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  • BuffaloaCitizen Wednesday, 19 January 2022 12:56 PM

    His Sinhalese arrogance and ignorance is still there despite migration to Canada. Majority in Sri Lanka have this same bullshit arrogance of not respecting the other person. No wonder this country is now in the doldrons.

    Rohan Wednesday, 19 January 2022 12:57 PM

    මෙතුමා දමිලද?

    Punchi Banda Wednesday, 19 January 2022 12:57 PM

    He is of Sri Lankan descent and as a patriotic refugee Sri Lankan we must praise him for abiding with our Buddha blessed governments line that there is no persecution of Uighurs. Our Chinese best friends are providing world class housing and excellent food and compulsory exercise and work brings joy - by relocating the Uighurs to concentrated holiday camps

    Cheers Wednesday, 19 January 2022 12:58 PM

    Mate your family is a disgrace to sri lanka as you are a sinhalese and left sri lanka to anorher country claiming assylum. You can be rich but you are a refugee and I thought generally it's the tamils who claim bogus assylum but now it's a shame to our ethnicity

    Matt Chris Wednesday, 19 January 2022 02:42 PM

    @Cheers. Mate you people are the shameless people in the world. Sinhalese cant live in their own country and ask bogus asylum on other countries. Get a life mate.

    jayt Wednesday, 19 January 2022 02:11 PM

    i can guess if he was a refugee, he did no come from majority Sinhalese, he came from one of those castes who spied for foreigners and tamil tigers. local spies belong to deferent castes, and religion have been active in sl throughout colonial period and until today. and some also recognized as communists and attempted to change constitution of sl and still trying by hiding behind present govt

    Punchi Banda Wednesday, 19 January 2022 02:20 PM

    Australian Macquarie Bank head Shemara Wikramanayake went with her family to Australia and claimed refugee status. We should prevail on her ethnic identity and persuade Shemara to provide Macquarie Bank loans to the paradise her family fled from.

    jayt Wednesday, 19 January 2022 02:22 PM

    now you can analyze which global spy gave his family refugee status and which caste he belong to they don't give refugee status all of them or all of tamil, then, there are no tamil to hijack nor Sinhalese spies to spy for tamil and their western based agencies

    Psycho Wednesday, 19 January 2022 02:48 PM

    This guy is an economic refugee. Now trying to get sympathy.

    DE Wednesday, 19 January 2022 03:12 PM

    His father was working in the Embassy in Canada and then didn't come back. Surely the Embassy wasn't prosecuting them?

    Asith Wednesday, 19 January 2022 03:22 PM

    It is shameful to please the US

    Don Juan Wednesday, 19 January 2022 04:42 PM

    I just came here for the comments the classic Lion Vs Tiger cat fight.


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