# Ship seized near B.C.



## old medic (17 Oct 2009)

Ship of 'unknown origin' seized near B.C. coast

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20091017/seized_vessel_091017/20091017?hub=TopStoriesV2


> RCMP have seized a vessel of "unknown origin" carrying 76 people and "unknown cargo," after it sailed into Canadian waters off the coast of British Columbia early Saturday.
> 
> "The RCMP took steps to intervene with close support of the Canadian Forces and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)," Minister of Public Safety Peter Van Loan said in a statement. "An RCMP Emergency Response Team trained in maritime intervention boarded and took control of the vessel."
> 
> ...


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## Sprinting Thistle (17 Oct 2009)

Perhaps an Olympic Team arriving a bit early?


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## 155mmMoose (17 Oct 2009)

I don't know much about the olympics, but only 76 people sounds a little small for a team.


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## GAP (17 Oct 2009)

155mmMoose said:
			
		

> I don't know much about the olympics, but only 76 people sounds a little small for a team.



Yeah, but it's only the Sira Lankan bobsled team.... they're new!!


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## Sprinting Thistle (17 Oct 2009)

The ship in the photo could easily hold a bobsled training run inside so they could practice on the way over.


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## Ex-Dragoon (17 Oct 2009)

While you joke stop for a minute and think of the ships that do get through and what they may be carrying...this is a serious matter and one we need to more aggressively pursue.


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## MARS (17 Oct 2009)

Ex-Dragoon said:
			
		

> While you joke stop for a minute and think of the ships that do get through and what they may be carrying...this is a serious matter and one we need to more aggressively pursue.



Agreed.  I was involved when this last happened in 1999.  I hope this is not a repeat.  This is a serious issue.  When you see the plot of the entire west coast and the number of ships that are making their way to North America at any given moment - that is a huge AOR for the number of assets we have deployed.  A certain amount of luck - and some seriously top notch investigative police work is involved to catch these guys.

CBC radio is reporting that _Regina_ was one of the two frigates involved.  Her CO is a good friend.  BZ to both Ship's Companies, the RCMP and all involved.  

_Edited to reflect the proper quote I meant to reference, from Ex-Dragoon_


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## CougarKing (18 Oct 2009)

GAP said:
			
		

> Yeah, but it's only the *Sra Lankan bobsled team*.... they're new!!



Well anything's possible when it comes to that.  ;D


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## Monsoon (18 Oct 2009)

As far as I'm able to piece together, Regina has been looking for her since last weekend. Kind of a **itty to spend Thanksgiving, but good work, guys.


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## Antoine (18 Oct 2009)

I am a bit confuse with the mission of NAVRES. 

I thought that NAVRES boards ships, and then bring it to RCMP, obviously I was wrong.

Who was in command of the foreign ship navigation and the over all operation, MARS officers or RCMP?

Who leads who in those situations?


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## Monsoon (18 Oct 2009)

Antoine said:
			
		

> I thought that NAVRES boards ships, and then bring it to RCMP, obviously I was wrong.
> 
> Who was in command of the foreign ship navigation and the over all operation, MARS officers or RCMP?
> 
> Who leads who in those situations?


I think you're mistaking the acronym "NAVRES" (which refers specifically to the Naval Reserve) to mean "the navy".

You're right that the RCMP is the lead agency for domestic security matters, but in the absence of a large waterborne platform the navy is tasked to conduct the maritime end of the operation. REGINA did the take-down, but you can bet that the intelligence was sourced through the RCMP (and probably CSIS originally) and that there were a couple of RCMP officers onboard when the ship was seized.

This is similar to the model used for fishery patrols, where a naval asset serves as the platform but a couple of DFO (Department of Fisheries and Oceans) guys are embarked to carry the right legal authority.

When this happened back in 1999 (as MARS referred to), the RCMP was the lead agency in corralling the migrants at Work Point. The extra police were housed at VENTURE, leading to delicious friction between them and my MARS III course. Seems they didn't care for living four to a room...

_Edit to add:_

From the Globe & Mail story (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/rcmp-seize-ship-off-bc-coast/article1328171/)-
_On Friday afternoon, the naval vessel HMCS Regina approached the Ocean Lady in waters near Port Renfrew and an armed emergency response team boarded it and took control._

The ERT is an RCMP asset, so there they are.


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## gcclarke (18 Oct 2009)

My  :2c:. In this situation, a warship is a good platform for a number of reasons.

A) They have a much much better capability of tracking suspected "vessels of interest" than anything the RCMP or Coast Guard could put to sea. I also wouldn't be surprised if there were some Auroras in on the action as well.

B) They are fairly fast and maneuverable, making it easy to get the RCMP ERT to the scene, so they can do their job.

C) A big ole warship with a big ole gun on the Foc's'le is a pretty decent way to convince the vessel that it should probably co-operate. While it is unlikely that we would let loose with the main gun, there is always that looming threat of violence that makes people realize that they should probably pay attention. This also doesn't discount the possibility of getting a few warning shots in however. 

But anyways, in this situation, the Navy is providing what we call "Aid to civil power". As this vessel isn't likely to be carrying a squad of commandos looking to invade the country, it's also not really the Force's responsibility to deal with it. But, we can and often do assist other governmental departments in carrying out their duties, anything from drug interdiction to snow removal. But in those cases, we're helping out, not in charge, and thus someone else will always be the lead agency.


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## medicineman (18 Oct 2009)

All I know is that I was sitting on my ruck until late yesterday afternoon with a bunch of others to medically screen and treat the detainees when they arrived - but another agency graciously let us off the hook and so went to a mess dinner instead.  I do echo someone else in hoping that this isn't a repeat of 10 years ago.

Good work Regina.

MM


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## Antoine (18 Oct 2009)

Thanks guys for your answers.

I was thinking about the naval reserve as they support the Coast guard on Canadian water and they are trained for coastal defense in case of an attack coming from sea (from what I understood as an outsider). I think I got confused with NAVRES mission due to the coming winter Olympic.


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## Ex-Dragoon (18 Oct 2009)

Antoine said:
			
		

> Thanks guys for your answers.
> 
> I was thinking about the naval reserve as they support the Coast guard on Canadian water and they are trained for coastal defense in case of an attack coming from sea (from what I understood as an outsider). I think I got confused with NAVRES mission due to the coming winter Olympic.


The Reg Force  also supports as well is supported by the CCG as well as other govermental agencies. We do coastal defence as well...


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## MARS (18 Oct 2009)

> I was thinking about the naval reserve as they support the Coast guard on Canadian water and they are trained for coastal defense in case of an attack coming from sea (from what I understood as an outsider). I think I got confused with NAVRES mission due to the coming winter Olympic.



Antione,

None of those tasks are generic to the Naval Reserve.  The Naval Reserve is a "Force Generator" - it generates a capability, in our case, trained sailors.  Support to the CG, defence of the coastline, Op Podium (Olympics) are all tasks and missions assigned to the Navy as a whole.  There are no NAVRES ships per se, they all "belong" to the Fleet Commander.  That KINGSTON Class Ships happen to be crewed in the most part by Naval Reservists matters none to the Commander.  It matters to the Naval Reserve insofar as it greatly shapes our training.  The Naval Reserve does have missions assigned to it, but they are devolved from and subordinate to the mission assigned to Martime Command.

Hope that clears things up.

Cheers,

MARS

_Edited for spelling_


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## Antoine (18 Oct 2009)

Thanks MARS, 

Yes, it does clear things up.

I was still confused on the general mission of NAVRES despite I read time to time "the link", the NAVRES website and different information gathered from recruiting info sessions.

Regards,


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## old medic (18 Oct 2009)

RCMP seize ship off B.C. coast
The Canadian Press and Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/rcmp-seize-ship-off-bc-coast/article1328171/



> Dozens of would-be migrants were towed into a Victoria port Saturday after a large-scale, two-day military and police operation kicked into gear following a tip that the vessel had sailed unannounced into Canadian waters.
> 
> In all, 76 men were found on the ship and were believed to be in good health, considering the voyage they had just undertaken, Rob Johnston, of the Canada Border Services Agency, said at a news conference.
> 
> ...


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## The Bread Guy (19 Oct 2009)

CanWest:  


> Seventy-six men suspected of illegally entering Canada will be held in Vancouver to determine if they have refugee claims, says the Canadian Border Services Agency.  Rob Johnston, CBSA director of enforcement, said Sunday in Victoria the migrants – who are thought to be from Sri Lanka – were being taken to Metro Vancouver for processing.  "All of the irregular migrants will undergo the examination process to determine if they are eligible under the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Protection Act," he said....



Agence France-Presse:


> The Canadian Tamil Congress says its lawyers will represent dozens of illegal migrants arrested on a mystery ship seized off Canada's West Coast.  Detention hearings will begin early this week for as many as 76 migrants from a freighter seized Friday by Canadian military....



A few pix from the RCMP news release attached.


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## GAP (19 Oct 2009)

This has to stop.....





> "All of the irregular migrants will undergo the examination process to determine if they are eligible under the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Protection Act,"



You do an end run....you get punted...


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## gcclarke (19 Oct 2009)

GAP said:
			
		

> This has to stop.....
> You do an end run....you get punted...



Hahahahha ooh that's a good one...


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## Old Sweat (19 Oct 2009)

I suspect most will get into the refugee process and eventually will be admitted to Canada.


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## krustyrl (19 Oct 2009)

Too bad Human Rights and Immigration Laws and Policies  pretty much prevent these castaways from being made example of  and show this practice is not tolerated. Instead I'm sure they will get the big "meal ticket" right into yours and mine pension plan and health.


.02


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## old medic (19 Oct 2009)

I'm curious to hear where the women and children are. Why is it only men of what appears to 
be fighting age.


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## gcclarke (19 Oct 2009)

old medic said:
			
		

> I'm curious to hear where the women and children are. Why is it only men of what appears to
> be fighting age.



I suspect the plan for many of them is to come here, start working, become landed immigrants, etc, and eventually sponsor their entire family to come over.


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## old medic (19 Oct 2009)

Illegal migrants paid big bucks: report
By Fabian Dawson 
The Vancouver Province
October 19, 2009



> VANCOUVER — The 76 illegal migrants who were intercepted on a rusting ship off the west coast of Vancouver paid up to $45,000 U.S. each for a new life in Canada, one of their compatriots has claimed.
> 
> The suspected asylum seekers, who are being held in a Vancouver jail pending refugee claims, are believed to be one of four groups of Sri Lankans in four ships operated by human smugglers.
> 
> ...


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## The Bread Guy (20 Oct 2009)

*Canada to take hard line with would-be migrants*
Tamil Canadians urge compassion for the 76 men, believed to be from Sri Lanka
Jane Armstrong and John Ibbitson, Globe & Mail, 20 Oct 09
Article link


> Canada's Immigration Minister has signalled that he intends to play hardball with 76 men believed to be from Sri Lanka who arrived on a rusty boat off Canada's West Coast, as the government battles the perception of Canada as a soft touch for asylum seekers.
> 
> While Tamil Canadians have urged Canadian officials to show compassion, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney told The Globe and Mail yesterday that that the migrants' illegal arrival highlights the growing problem of human smuggling.
> 
> ...




*Notorious people-smuggler may be tied to B.C.-bound migrant ship *
Kelly Sinoski, Vancouver Sun, 19 Oct 09
Article link


> A notorious people-smuggler arrested in Australia may be behind a boatload of would-be asylum-seekers being held in Vancouver.
> 
> The 76 asylum-seekers, believed to be from Sri Lanka, were taken into custody by the Canada Border Services Agency, after their ship, Ocean Lady, was apprehended off Vancouver Island on Friday.
> 
> ...




*Canada now part of shadowy global smuggling pipeline*
TU THANH HA, Globe & Mail, 20 Oct09
Article link


> With the arrival of 76 illegal immigrants aboard the Ocean Lady, Canada joins a global smuggling pipeline where thousands of Tamils, Afghans or Iraqis risk their lives in the waters between Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia.
> 
> In this shadowy world, millions of dollars are secretly exchanged, staffers at the Indonesian embassy in Kabul take bribes, Tamils transit through jungle camps in Malaysia and luckless Afghans die when their boat explodes as it is boarded by Australian sailors.
> 
> ...


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## George Wallace (20 Oct 2009)

What worries me most is what kind of Islamic fundamentalists, Tamil Tiger sympathizers, or other subversive element, may be amongst these men.


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## ModlrMike (20 Oct 2009)

Hmmm... they can afford $45000 each to come here, yet they're poor, mistreated, exploited victims. Send them back, I say!


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## x512er (20 Oct 2009)

ModlrMike said:
			
		

> Hmmm... they can afford $45000 each to come here, yet they're poor, mistreated, exploited victims. Send them back, I say!



And scuttle the ship!


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## FastEddy (20 Oct 2009)

George Wallace said:
			
		

> What worries me most is what kind of Islamic fundamentalists, Tamil Tiger sympathizers, or other subversive element, may be amongst these men.




Your right George, but we won't know the half of it, after tens of millions of dollars and making Lawyers rich. Then some Commission or Righteous Judge will grant them Asylum or Entry.

Then its the Provinces turn to provide Housing, Medical, Employment and Financial Aid. I certainally hope none of them speak any French, because you know where they'll end up, just what we need. That's a very strange thing, because if you don't, and happen to be a Licensed Doctor or Nurse, your not Welcome here.

As George pointed out, what Subversive or Fanatical elements are lurking or sleeping among them. As for weeding them out, we sure have a hell of record in that area. They probably end up suing the Government.

It seems Canada is becoming the Dumping Ground of choice for the all the Garbage of the World.

Its only my opinion, but if you plant Corn you get Corn, if you plant Apple Trees you get Apples. If you plant Garbage, you still have Garbage.

Of course we have lots of money that's why our ER's are stacked up in corridors, cut backs in our Military, cut backs and reductions in our Police and Fire Depts.

Of course we can't just seize their Ship, arrest their Captain and Crew and throw them in Jail for ten years. Put the Illegals on the next plane to where ever they came from.


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## GAP (20 Oct 2009)

We also have to remember that these are not the poor "boat people" who sold/borrowed everything to get on a rickety leaking boat and take their chances....these guys paid $45,000 a piece for this trip...the economy cruise went to Australia.....


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## Monsoon (20 Oct 2009)

GAP said:
			
		

> We also have to remember that these are not the poor "boat people" who sold/borrowed everything to get on a rickety leaking boat and take their chances....these guys paid $45,000 a piece for this trip...the economy cruise went to Australia.....


Bear in mind that "paid" in this case probably means "agreed to pay" - i.e. out of future earnings they expected to make here in Canada. Even still, I'm not greatly sympathetic to the refugee claim - there are lots of places Sri Lankan Tamils can take refuge that don't cost $45,000 to get to. The Tamil Nadu in India, for instance.

These are clearly economic migrants. And not very promising ones, either.


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## Colin Parkinson (20 Oct 2009)

The $45,000 raised is likely a "loan" as mentioned or the entire wealth of the extended family paid to get one person to Canada in the hopes they ill be able to pay off the debt and send money home. I am not sure "economic refugees" is a totally accurate term, to play the devils advocate, how many here would take the same risks with their lives and family fortunes in the hope to have a better life for our kids?


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## Monsoon (20 Oct 2009)

Colin P said:
			
		

> I am not sure "economic refugees" is a totally accurate term, to play the devils advocate, how many here would take the same risks with their lives and family fortunes in the hope to have a better life for our kids?


Sure I would. There are literally hundreds of millions of poor people in straightened circumstances in impoverished countries around the world who would do the same if they could. But I - and they - wouldn't be refugees from a crisis. We would be economic migrants seeking a better quality of life.

I can feel sympathy for these people and their desires, while also recognizing that the only thing standing between Canada's present circumstances and a Bangladesh-style situation is that we only allow in  hundred thousand or so outsiders each year. We reserve those spots for legitimate immigrants who bring skills and added value to the country (and who use the proper, legal channels - which are, if nothing else, a way of selecting moral, law-abiding people), and to genuine refugees from crises. I don't get the impression that these folks fall into either of those categories.


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## old medic (20 Oct 2009)

I see some blanket speculation here. 
If it was a matter of agreeing to pay, or a loan, or working it off, they would all be here.


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## gcclarke (20 Oct 2009)

Let's just say I'd have a lot more sympathy for these people if they had arrived this time last year. As it is, pulling this after the civil war in your country has ended isn't exactly tugging on my heart-strings.


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## George Wallace (20 Oct 2009)

It could have been a "slow boat from China Sri Lanka"


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## The Bread Guy (21 Oct 2009)

*Canada tipped off to migrant ship*
'Foreign intelligence' tracked migrants
Stewart Bell and Brian Hutchinson, National Post, 21 Oct 09
Article link

Canadian officials were tipped off at least a week in advance that a boatload of Sri Lankan migrants was on its way to the West Coast to seek asylum, according to sources familiar with the investigation.

Police were canvassing members of Toronto's large Sri Lankan community two weeks ago for information about the freighter, which was located on Thursday and entered Canadian waters early Saturday.

A Canadian Forces crew piloted the ship to Vancouver Island and the 76 men on board are being detained in Maple Ridge, B. C., while the Immigration Refugee Board decides whether to release them ....


*RCMP works with Sri Lanka to ID Tamil migrants*
CBC.ca, 20 Oct 09
Article link

Canadian investigators have confirmed they are working with the government of Sri Lanka to determine the identities of 76 men taken into custody on a boat off Vancouver Island over the weekend.

Most of the men are believed to be Tamils from Sri Lanka, fleeing the aftermath of the country's violent civil war.

That makes the men's nationality and whether they might have links to the Tamil Tigers, a group listed as a banned terrorist organization, a sensitive issue for the Canadian government.

Sri Lanka has been battered by decades of civil war with ongoing allegations of serious human rights abuses on both sides of the conflict — the Tamil Tigers and the government....


*Board retains two migrants out of fear they wouldn't reappear*
Kelly Sinoski and Amy O'Brian, Vancouver Sun, 21 Oct 09
Article link

Two of 76 asylum-seekers apprehended on a rusty ship on the weekend should continue to be detained because of fears they won't reappear if released, an immigration review board member ordered Tuesday.

The detention hearing was the first to be held since the 76 men, believed to be Tamils from Sri Lanka, were detained on the weekend.

Hearings for the remaining 74 have not yet been scheduled.

Board member Leeann King's order for the continued detention of the two followed a report by Kamal Gill, a representative of Immigration Minister Jason Kenney. Gill said the Canada Border Services Agency has been unable to complete its examination of all 76 migrants, including the two men.

The 76 have been held at the Fraser Regional Correctional facility since the Canada Border Services Agency intercepted their vessel at Ogden Point, off Vancouver Island....


*Hearings begin for migrants arrested off Canada*
Agence France-Presse, 21 Oct 09
Article link

Detention hearings began for two of 76 migrants who were arrested Saturday on a mystery ship off Canada's coast and are believed to be Tamils fleeing Sri Lanka.

Immigration adjudicator Leeann King of Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board ruled late Tuesday that the first two of the migrants to receive hearings will remain in detention and slapped a publication ban on their identities.

But King denied an application filed by lawyers for the migrants that sought to ban the public from all hearings.

The men were detained by police on Friday, after the military seized a mysterious freighter called the "Ocean Lady" off Canada's west coast.

Officials have said they suspect human smuggling in the case, and Canada's government has warned it will crack down on migrants who jump formal refugee and immigration queues to make refugee claims.

"We need to do a much better job of shutting the back door of immigration for those who seek to abuse that asylum system," Immigration Minister Jason Kenney told The Globe and Mail newspaper....


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## The Bread Guy (22 Oct 2009)

Well, THAT didn't take long, did it?

*Release Detained Asylum Seekers! Status for All! Fire Jason Kenney!*
Attributed to blackandred, http://mostlywater.org, 21 Oct 09
Posting link

RELEASE DETAINED ASYLUM SEEKERS!
END RESTRICTIVE IMMIGRATION POLICIES AND FIRE JASON KENNEY!
STATUS FOR ALL!

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Friday October 23, 12-1 pm
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
300 West Georgia (corner of Hamiton)
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Join No One is Illegal-Vancouver in a National Day of Action to call for the immediate release of detained asylum seekers and an end to racist and restrictive immigration policies!

Surviving a long and arduous journey, 76 Tamil Migrants are currently being detained and imprisoned after arriving on Vancouver shores in pursuit of a safer future. All remain in detention, with minimal access to community and legal support in contravention of their basic human rights, while Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney perpetuates false and dehumanizing stereotypes of asylum seekers as 'illegals', 'criminals', and so-called queue jumpers....


*NOII-Vancouver: Uphold the Rights of 76 Migrants Aboard Ocean Lady*
Attributed to blackandred, http://mostlywater.org, 20 Oct 09
Posting link

The immigrant and refugee rights group No One Is Illegal is demanding that officials respect the human rights of the seventy six migrants who arrived aboard the ship Ocean Lady this weekend off the shores of Vancouver Island. No One Is Illegal will be working with other community organizations and legal support networks to ensure the migrants are treated justly and with respect and dignity.

According to Peggy Lee, member of No One Is Illegal, “Public officials and the media must refrain from stereotyping these migrants as illegals or criminals. They have survived a long and arduous journey in the hopes that the Canadian state will fully comply with its international refugee and human rights law obligations.” On September 17, 2009 the UN Human Rights Council publicly condemned the practice of unnecessary immigration-related detention and demanded that irregular migrants must be protected against arbitrary deprivation of liberty and inhuman treatment. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay warned that “The association of irregular migration with criminality promotes the stigmatization of migrants and encourages a climate of xenophobia and hostility against them.”....


_More on links_


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## Colin Parkinson (22 Oct 2009)

Just after the first abandoned migrant boats was found back in the 90’s I was up working in the Queen Charlottes and one of the Mates of the BC Ferries told me that just before the boat was found, about 30-40 Chinese guys in ill-fitting and suitcases boarded the BC Ferry back to the Mainland, the Captain called Customs to advise them, but as the ferry was going to arrive afterhours the Customs declined to come out to meet them because of a overtime freeze.


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## The Bread Guy (23 Oct 2009)

According to "sources familiar with the investigation" speaking to CanWest News Service, a man Interpol is interested enough in to post an online notice (poster attached) about is one of the 76 boat folks. 

Sri Lankan media say, "Police spokesman Nimal Mediweka said the suspect was being hunted down while in the island and that he had fled the country prompting the Sri Lankan authorities to issue a red notice with the Interpol for his arrest. DIG Mediweka said an inquiry was now underway in Canada after which the authorities would decide if the suspect would be deported to Sri Lanka."

The man in the Interpol notice is accused of "terrorism", but, according to the _Globe & Mail_, "his lawyer, Hadayt Nazami, said “a lot of innocent Tamils are being persecuted by the government and accused of all kinds of things.” Mr. Nazami is one of several lawyers based in Toronto who was recently hired to represent detainees on the West Coast."


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## PMedMoe (3 Nov 2009)

*Explosive residue on migrants' clothing*
Tamils' lawyers say chemicals found on clothes could have another source
Article link

Authorities investigating the 76 migrants aboard a ship seized off Vancouver Island told an immigration hearing Monday that two items of clothing the men brought with them tested positive for explosive residue.

Investigators also say there had been an attempt to disguise the ship's identity and that the vessel actually belongs to the Tamil Tigers, an alleged terrorist organization banned by the federal government.

The ship carrying the men was seized Oct. 17 after Australian intelligence officials apparently tipped off Canadian authorities about its impending arrival.

Only one of the 76 migrants, believed to be a minor, has been released. The 75 others remain in custody in Vancouver while authorities try to establish whether they are a security risk to Canada.

Lawyers for the men said they are refugees who were on the losing side in the long Sri Lankan civil war, and who were escaping persecution in their homeland.

More on link


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## Greymatters (4 Nov 2009)

PMedMoe said:
			
		

> Lawyers for the men said they are refugees who were on the losing side in the long Sri Lankan civil war, and who were escaping persecution in their homeland.



One of the side-effects of fighting against the government in place - you get 'persecuted' if you lose...


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## Journeyman (4 Nov 2009)

*Article Link*



> *Tamil Tigers look to regroup in Canada: expert*
> 
> *The Tamil Tigers organization hopes to use Canada as a strategic base to continue the fight against the government of Sri Lanka*, according to an authority on the alleged terrorist group.
> 
> ...


 Complete article at link

Since this country single-handedly raised the most money for the Tamil Tigers, it shouldn't be surprising that more of them are coming here now. 

As for Gunaratna's "lacking credibility," there aren't too many people out there who have followed LTTE that closely, for as long. I guess the lawyers missed the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research, or even typing "Gunaratna" into Amazon.ca.


Edit to change quote colour to black, for easier reading


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## The Bread Guy (9 Dec 2009)

...when it comes to the ship.

_Globe & Mail_ version....


> "I am satisfied that some weight must be given to Dr. Gunaratna's assertions concerning the LTTE's connections to the MV Easwary and find that it is possible that it is still an LTTE-controlled ship," (Immigration and Refugee Board adjudicator Lynda) Mackie said. "It is possible, even probable, that some of the men on board have links to the LTTE," she wrote....



...versus the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence version


> Canadian government yesterday, (08 Dec) ruled MV Princess Eashwary later renamed as MV Ocean Lady as a LTTE ship that was used to transport and smuggle arms and ammunitions to the LTTE.
> 
> Further, the sources revealed that there are several number of sea tigers among the crew and another leader called Kobal who claimed to be the second in command of LTTE's Kutti Sri Artillery Regiment is also among them.
> 
> ...


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## old medic (14 Jun 2011)

First arrests in Ocean Lady human smuggling investigation
Stewart Bell
14 June 2011

http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/06/14/first-arrests-in-ocean-lady-human-smuggling-investigation/




> TORONTO — RCMP officers arrested four men in the Toronto area on Tuesday in connection with the MV Ocean Lady, the freighter that brought 76 illegal migrants to Canada’s West Coast more than a year-and-a-half ago.
> 
> The arrests are the first stemming from RCMP investigations into human smuggling networks in Southeast Asia that have sent hundreds of Sri Lankan refugee claimants to Canada aboard two freighters.
> 
> ...


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## The Bread Guy (14 Jun 2011)

RCMP news release on above attached.


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