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| Great White North |
| Canadian Navy boards 'Tamil refugee ship'. |
| 2010-08-13 |
| The Canadian Navy has boarded a cargo ship carrying nearly 500 Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka. Canadian authorities initially said the ship MV Sun Sea was boarded at midday on Thursday when it veered towards land, but police later said it was not boarded until evening as the ship was escorted to Vancouver island by a naval ship. Local media reported that tents had been erected to receive the migrants at a dock near Esquimalt, a naval base on the island. The Tamils on board the ship said they were fleeing persecution in Sri Lanka, but Canadian authorities suspect some on board may have links to the Tiger rebels, defeated last year after a two-decades long war. Sri Lankan media had earlier reported that the ship headed for Canada after being turned back from Australia, and that several other ships full of refugees are also on their way. Sri Lanka's high commissioner to Canada has asked the country to reject their refugee status, calling it a human smuggling operation linked to the rebels. Carolyn Jack, a Canadian journalist, told Al Jazeera that there were reports the migrants have been at sea since May. There are also unconfirmed reports that one person died on the ship. |
| Posted by:Pappy |
| #1 The "Canadian authorities" said one thing; the police said another. This is why the red cloud of blood descends over my eyes. I'd like to know which of the two quoted "authorities" lied about the situation and then I'd like to know why. And then I'd like to slowly turn them on a spit over a very hot fire. And that's before I get really angry. |
| Posted by: Canuckistan sniper 2010-08-13 14:49 |