With a boatload of Tamil refugees set to land in Vancouver, the Scarborough-based Canadian Tamil Congress is looking to ensure those on board receive due process upon landing.
Estimates on the number of refugees aboard the MV Sun Sea have ranged from roughly 200 to 500.According to Canadian Tamil Congress spokesperson Mario Pushparatnam, those on board are fleeing unsafe conditions in their native Sri Lanka. He said the end of a 25-year-long civil war has not ended the persecution of Tamils from the Sri Lankan authorities."The Sri Lankan government claims that after the civil war, everything went back to normal, but we know that's far from the truth," he said. "There are still disappearances there. There are still people in concentration camps."The Sri Lankan government has released statements suggesting the refugees pose a threat to Canadian security, but Pushparatnam said such tactics are hardly surprising.He said he hopes those on the MV Sun Sea are given due process when they arrive in Canada and each refugee's case is viewed individually rather than the group being effectively tried as a whole."Based on the experiences we've heard from the last ship that came (to Canada,) they said their experiences with the Canadian authorities were very positive," Pushparatnam said.He added the Canadian Tamil Congress has members in Vancouver awaiting the refugees' arrival late on Thursday, Aug. 12 or early on Friday, Aug. 13. Those members will help the refugees with settlement, medical, legal and other issues once they land, Pushparatnam said.