Paul Kehoe evacuated from Beiruit hotel

Minister for Defence, Paul Kehoe TD, was evacuated from Beirut at the weekend along with President Michael D Higgins.

The two were in Lebanon to meet with Irish troops, however, they became caught up in protests based around significant tax increases in the country in an effort to counter a massive financial deficit.

Speaking to this newspaper Minister Kehoe said the evacuation was necessary as a result of ‘security concerns’.

‘ I went out on Tuesday of last week and the President went out the following day,’ said Minister Kehoe.

‘ We had a packed programme planned from Wednesday to Saturday,’ he added.

On Thursday the two met with the Lebanese President, Prime Minister, and the Speaker of the House.

‘ The government there has proposed a number of significant tax increases but what seems to have tipped it over the edge was a proposal to tax WhatsApp messages,’ said Minister Kehoe.

‘ They were outside out hotel on Thursday night and it ended up that around 3,000 protesters were outside,’ he added.

‘ They knew there was an Irish delegation there but we think they might also have thought that members of their own government were staying there too.’

Normally, the visit to the Irish troops serving in the country is undertaken by car, however, because the protests led to roads being blocked throughout the country Minister Kehoe and the President flew by helicopter to meet troops in the main Irish camp in the south of the country.

‘ We got taken by helicopter to the main camp where the Irish troops were and it was an honour to meet them,’ said Minister Kehoe.

However, he lamented the fact that because of security concerns he and the President had to remain at the main camp and weren’t allowed to visit any of the other Irish troops.

‘ When we got back to the hotel we were not allowed to leave and eventually we were brought by helicopter to the airport for the flight back home,’ he said.