செவ்வாய்க்கிழமை, செப்டம்பர் 14, 2010

கனடா சன்சீ கப்பல் அகதிகளில் முதன்முறையாக தமிழ் தாயார் ஒருவரும் அவரது 3 குழந்தைகளும் கனேடிய குடிவரவு மற்றும் அகதிகள் வாரியத்தினால் விடுவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளனர். விடுவிக்கப்பட்ட அப் பெண்மணி யார் என்பது குறித்து தகவல்கள் எதுவும் தெரிவிக்கப்படவில்லை.

மேற்படி கப்பலில் பயணம் செய்தவர்களில் பலர் தங்களை உறுதி செய்யும் வகையில், தேசிய அடையாள அட்டை மற்றும் கடவுச்சீட்டு போன்ற ஆதாரங்களைத் தம்முடன் வைத்திருக்கின்றனர்.

எனினும் அவற்றின் நம்பகத்தன்மையை தம்மால் உறுதி செய்யமுடியவில்லையென கனேடிய பொதுமக்கள் பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரி ரொன் யமாயுச்சி தெரிவிக்கின்றார். இக்கப்பல் கடந்த மாதம் 12 ஆம் திகதி கனடாவைச் சென்றடைந்தது.

இக்கப்பல் பயணமானது விடுதலைபுலி உறுப்பினர்களால் நடத்தப்பட்டு வரும் மனித கடத்தல் நடவடிக்கையாக இருக்கலாமென கனேடிய பொதுமக்கள் பாதுகாப்பு அமைச்சர் விக் டொவ்ஸ் தெரிவித்துள்ளார்.

ஈழ நாதம்

A pregnant woman is the first of 492 Tamil migrants who arrived earlier this summer aboard a Thai cargo ship to be released from immigration detention.

The fact that she is pregnant, has three children under 15 and that she sustained significant injuries in the Sri Lankan civil war all factored into the Immigration and Refugee board's decision to release her, according to her lawyer, Douglas Cannon.

The woman, who cannot be named under a publication ban, was released around 6 p.m. Monday with her children into a residence provided through the support of a local refugee service organization.

Twenty-five female Tamil migrants with children remain at the Burnaby youth detention centre -- a centre chosen so that mothers could remain with their children.

"On the one hand, it's good they get to be with their children, but on the other hand, the kids are in jail," Cannon said. "But it seems to be a suitable compromise to separating them from their children."

The released woman had been in custody since Aug. 13, when the MV Sun Sea arrived in Victoria carrying 443 adults and 49 children. All are seeking to remain in Canada as refugees.

The woman's husband remains in custody in the Fraser Valley, along with all the adult men who arrived on the same ship.

The federal government has been seeking the continued detention of the migrants on the grounds that they haven't yet established their identities, and suspicions that some may have connections to the outlawed Tamil Tigers organization in their native Sri Lanka. The Tigers are considered to be a terrorist organization by Canadian officials.

Cannon expects more orders of release in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, the federal government came under fire Monday for not taking action after being warned by its own diplomats in Sri Lanka nine months ago that a "perfect storm" of stress factors in war-battered Sri Lanka would result in more human smugglers targeting Canada as an attractive destination.

Critics say the warnings, contained in an internal January report written by Canadian diplomats in Colombo, show the government had no excuse for not being ahead of the curve by the time a boat loaded with Tamil refugee claimants landed on the British Columbia coast last month.

"It really shows that this government unfortunately isn't acting responsibly on the challenges and [with] the foresight necessary to develop a credible plan," said Liberal MP Justin Trudeau, the party's new immigration critic. "They're flying by the seat of their pants."

New Democrat Olivia Chow said that as a first step, the government should have sped up implementation of a newly approved refugee reform law, which is designed to accelerate the handling of claims by legitimate refugees and also speed the ouster of bogus refugee claimants. The government is still months away from enacting the law, which, among other things, requires hiring and training 100 new immigration officers.

Chow also said the government should be pushing the Sri Lankan government harder to respect human rights within its borders.

The internal report, obtained by lawyer Richard Kurland under access-to-information legislation, said Ottawa should be prepared for an influx of Sri Lankan refugees fleeing the political, economic and social upheaval plaguing their country after 25 years of civil war.

The report was written just two months after the Ocean Lady and its 76 Tamil passengers had landed off Vancouver Island.

Since the MV Sun Sea landed in B.C. last month, the government has been scrambling to craft a policy, as well as new legislation, to thwart or deter human smuggling across the high sea.

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has decided to visit Australia, which is known for a tough approach toward refugee boats, before Parliament resumes Sept. 20.

He also has named Ward Elcock, a former spy chief, as a special envoy in human smuggling. Elcock, who coordinated security for the Vancouver Olympics, is supposed to travel to Thailand, Sri Lanka and other Asian countries in pursuit of greater international cooperation to shut down human smuggling operations.

The report warns the successful arrival of the Ocean Lady "will encourage other vessels to be organized."

awoo@vancouversun.comdahansen@vancouversun.com

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