Suspected ‘people-smuggling’ ship carrying Lankans heading for Canada
July 16, 2010 07:57 am
Undated photo of the Harin Panich 19, now renamed MV Sun Sea, a suspected migrant smuggling vessel last seen in the Gulf of Thailand. South Asian media are reporting it is on its way to Canada with 200 migrants on board.
Canadian authorities are monitoring a Thai cargo ship following reports it
may be on its way to the
The MV Sun Sea was last spotted in the
On the weekend,
The office of Jason Kenney, the Minister of Immigration, is following the case. “This could end up being a prime example of individuals trying to take advantage of our generous immigration system,” said Celyeste Power, the Minister’s spokeswoman.
The Department of Foreign Affairs also said it was “aware of press reports suggesting that a vessel has departed Southeast Asian waters and may be destined for Canada,” and vowed to prosecute anyone caught smuggling human cargo.
“Please note that those responsible for migrant smuggling will be pursued, investigated and prosecuted to the full extent of Canadian law and in accordance with the provisions of international conventions and protocols,” said Alain Cacchione, a Foreign Affairs spokesman.
The Canadian government has been keeping a watch on the
But a spokesman at the Thai embassy in
The
Since then, rumours have swirled in
But David Poopalapillai, the Canadian Tamil Congress spokesman, said he knew nothing about the ship and cautioned that the Sunday Observer is state-owned newspaper.
“We haven’t heard any news, but there are a lot of ships off-loading off Australian waters,” Mr. Poopalapillai said. He discouraged migrants from resorting to smuggling ships, which are often unseaworthy and sometimes deadly. “We advise our people not to take these treacherous voyages.”
Canadian police and immigration officials have been working with their Southeast Asian counterparts to disrupt migrant smuggling operations at their ports of origin. Federal lawyers have advised the government that once migrant smuggling vessels are in international waters, they cannot be forcibly turned back.
“The government of
If the
But unlike last year’s arrivals, any asylum seekers would be subject to
“Our government is committed to cracking down on bogus refugees while providing protection to those that truly need our help.”
She said new procedures “will ensure that we maintain the integrity of our immigration system without putting a burden on Canadian taxpayers.”
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed a three-member panel last week to advise him on allegations that war crimes were committed during the final stage of the civil war. The government has refused to co-operate with a war-crimes probe.
Traces of explosives were found on board the ship that arrived off the B.C. coast last year, and one of the passengers was the subject of an Interpol wanted notice for terrorism. Immigration officials had initially voiced concerns that the migrants could be Tamil Tigers but they later dropped those allegations.
Writing in The Australian, Gordon Weiss, who was the UN spokesman during the
war, accused the Sri Lankan government of making “fanciful” links between Tamil
boat people and the Tamil rebels. “The repressive creature of extreme
nationalism is alive and well in
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