Canadian prison being prepared for Lankan refugees - official
August 10, 2010 06:55 am
Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said there was reason to believe members of
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, known as the Tamil Tigers, are on the Thai
cargo ship headed for
The MV Sun Sea is expected to reach the Pacific coast
“I can assure you that we are concerned about who is on that ship and why they might be coming,” Toews said at a luncheon hosted by the Economic Club of Toronto, where he singled out marine human smuggling as a top national security concern.
The Tamil Tigers have been outlawed in
John Leeburn, a spokesman for the District of Maple Ridge outside
A local corrections union official, Dean Purdy, said the group would include
about 60 women and 40 children. Purdy said the vessel is expected to arrive in
Toews said it is imperative that
The Tigers fought a civil war for a quarter of a century seeking a state
independent of the ruling Sinhalese majority in
Last October, a ship carrying 76 Sri Lankan migrants was intercepted in
Canadian waters after crossing the Pacific from
But there were concerns some had links to the Tamil Tigers. The 76 Sri Lankan migrants from that ship have since been released and their refugee claims will be being processed over the next two years.
“It’s important to send a message that Canada should not be viewed as an easy entry into North America and that we are very concerned about security issues,” Toews said.
“The problem of human smuggling and illegal migration is a serious one, and the abuse of our immigration system is something that our government will not tolerate.”
AP