From: Habib Yousafzai <habibyousafzai@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Aug 18, 2010 at 11:37 AM
Subject: [bangla-vision] Harper's Ottawa becomes Republican la-la land
Video: Smugglers profit from migrant ship The Tamil migrants who arrived by freighter last week paid up to $50,000 each for the passage, says Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, resulting in a massive profit for the smugglers that brought them to Canada. Petti Fong VANCOUVER—The Tamil refugee claimant lifted her hand in apology as a guard attempted to handcuff her, indicating her other arm where only a stump remains. "Okay," she said with a meek smile when asked how she is doing after being held in detention for a fourth straight night. The woman, who cannot be identified because of a publication ban, was one of 92 asylum seekers who appeared before the Immigration and Refugee Board Tuesday after arriving Friday in a group of nearly 500 Tamil migrants aboard the MV Sun Sea. The board considered whether the migrants from Sri Lanka should be released from detention while their refugee claims are pending. All were ordered to remain in detention as Canadian border services officials verify documents about their identities. The women led into the hearing Tuesday were dressed in grey sweats and green shirts. All were handcuffed, except the amputee, whose lawyer said she sustained the injury during the civil war in Sri Lanka. Public Safety Minister Vic Toews initially said there were 490 migrants on board the MV Sun Sea. Officials now confirm there were 492 migrants, including 55 children and 63 women. Canadian Tamil Congress representatives who have been attending the hearings say two of the women are pregnant, one is near to giving birth and about a half a dozen minors are unaccompanied by any adults. The first migrant brought in was a single woman who had travelled on the MV Sun Sea with her mother, father and brother, the hearing was told. The migrant's lawyer, Eric Purtzki, said his client has provided original documents, including her birth certificates, to authorities and is cooperating. The woman has relatives in Toronto who are willing to act as bondspersons in securing her release, Purtzki said. Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Tuesday the federal government "will not hesitate" to strengthen Canada's human smuggling laws, but did not spell out what Ottawa might do to prevent future ships full of migrants from arriving in Canadian waters. "Ultimately as a government we're responsible," Harper said Tuesday following a local announcement in Mississauga. "It's a fundamental exercise of sovereignty. We are responsible for the security of our borders and the ability to welcome people or not welcome people when they come." Harper noted Canada is a land of refuge, but when hundreds of people come to the country outside the proper channels, it leads to "significant security concerns," he said. Detention reviews are usually held in private but the media and members of the Tamil community had applied to the Immigration and Refugee Board to make them public. Adjudicator Leeann King ruled Tuesday that the media can have limited access but cannot report any details that identify the claimants. She rejected the request of the community groups to attend the hearings. Lawyers for the Canada Border Services Agency say documents are being reviewed and authenticated as quickly as possible. The Immigration and Refugee Board has asked retired adjudicators to come back and work to process the 492 migrants, who are all making refugee claims. Lawyer Gary Anandasangaree said priority should be given to women, seniors and children to get them heard and released while their refugee claims are processed. The migrants say that as minority Tamils, they've faced persecution in Sri Lanka, in particular since the end of the civil war between the Sinhalese government and separatist Tamil Tigers last year. Toews has been saying since last week that Canada will do whatever it has to do to beef up its laws and prevent human smugglers and terrorists from taking advantage of Canada's refugee system. He has suggested Canada will work more closely with its allies to prevent ships from even setting sail in future. Australia has also grappled with migrants arriving on its shores by ship. Canada is a signatory to a United Nations declaration requiring countries to process refugee claimants at home. Liberal MP Marc Garneau called on the Harper government Tuesday to show more compassion for the migrants, urging Toews to "lower the tone" of the government's rhetoric. Garneau said since that since the ship's arrival, the government has fixated on suspicions that the ship is part of an organized human smuggling ring and that some of its passengers may be terrorists. Harper vows to strengthen human smuggling laws
Palash Biswas
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http://nandigramunited-banga.blogspot.com/
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