Refugee Claimants: Immigration

Federal Tribunals Dept: Sri Lanka’s civil war ended two years ago with the Colombo government vanquishing Tamil Tiger rebels. In the ensuing exodus, thousands of Tamil asylum-seekers voyaged to India, and then Southeast Asia, to await boats that would take them to countries in the West, according to Globe And Mail. The influx of refugee claimants then became a political issue, their claims highlighting the paralysis of Canada’s legal systems. Nearly two years after the first ship arrived, no asylum bids have been heard by federal tribunals. While four alleged crewmembers of one ship were recently charged with human smuggling offences, it took police nearly two years to lay charges and the MV Alicia was initially reported to have been bound for New Zealand, or possibly Australia, before it was stopped in Indonesian waters last weekend. While the ship’s ultimate destination remains something of a mystery, the Sydney Morning Herald has reported that “charts indicating the boat was prepared to travel to Canada” may have been found aboard the vessel. During a 12-month period between 2009 and 2010, nearly 600 Tamil migrants turned up on the coast of British Columbia in two nautical voyages. Some passengers are said to have indebted themselves to the tune of more than $40,000 apiece. As reported in the news.
@t tamil tiger rebels, sydney morning herald