More than three dozen Lankan Tamil migrants have been segregated from 492 others who arrived by boat for questioning by police on suspicion of being linked to the LTTE, or other inadmissible groups, including war criminals.

Those held in “segregation” at Fraser Regional Correctional Centre, in B.C., include the skipper of the MV Sun Sea, Kamalraj Kandasamy, a.k.a “Captain Vinod,” his 24-man crew and about a dozen migrants who arrived Aug. 13 off the coast of B.C. after a 90-day trip from Thailand.

Police said the suspects are being interviewed and undergoing extensive background checks by the RCMP, CSIS and Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) on suspicion of alien smuggling, being members of the Tamil Tigers terrorist group, a Sri Lankan paramilitary group or for taking part in crimes against humanity.

Police said several men were moved to a segregation unit because they were “threatening or intimidating” other migrants.

RCMP Const. Michael McLaughlin said he couldn’t comment on the investigation.

“All I can say is the investigation is still very much active,” McLaughlin said from B.C.

Police and intelligence officials allege Vinod, a Tamil Tigers leader, was deputy to a captain who steered a sister ship, Ocean Lady, to Canada last Ocober with 76 migrants on board.

The Sun Sea, once earlier known as the Harin Panich 19, was the subject of a maritime police alert last May when it was turned around near Australia as it headed there with 100 migrants on board.

Police allege the ship was earlier engaged in smuggling several thousand tonnes of arms, ammunition and explosives from North Korea to Sri Lanka.

Police allege a Tigers cell in Canadaorganized the Sun Sea smuggling trip, the Toronto Sun reports.