Stewart Bell, National Post
VANCOUVER — The Tamil migrants smuggled to the B.C. coast aboard the MV Sun Sea have released statements saying they are civilians fleeing disappearances and mass murders in Sri Lanka.
In a letter obtained by the National Post, a group of migrants detained at a prison near Vancouver thanked Canada and disputed what they called Sri Lankan government propaganda about them.
“We would like to ask the Canadian people and the Canadian Government to have faith in us to believe that we are innocent civilians who have been affected by the conflict,” it reads.
“We are not terrorists. We would also like to let you know that we will abide and live by the laws of this country.”
A second letter, signed “Tamil people from the Sun Sea ship,” says they traveled four months with little food, water, sleeping space, medicine and sanitary facilities.
“We have traveled for almost four months with much suffering and pain. We have come here, to this wonderful country Canada, to protect ourselves and our family members from the murders, disappearances and violence that still exist in our native country,” it reads.
“As a country which has embraced immigrants and migrants, we hope and believe that you will accept us, the refugees and we vow to wholeheartedly abide by the law and order of this country.”
The statements are the first accounts to emerge from the 492 migrants who arrived on the West Coast late last week aboard a smuggling ship that had sailed from the Gulf of Thailand in May.
All are believe to be ethnic Tamils from Sri Lanka. Those who have met them at the provincial prisons where they are being held said some have war wounds. Two are pregnant. There are families, a couple in their seventies and two journalists. A 37-year-old man died at sea of illness.
Women told of sleeping under a tent on the deck of the 59-metre cargo ship, sharing a bathroom among 50 people, cooking the South Asian sweet ladu and making tea with rain water.
“I left my son, I left my husband to come through hell so that I don’t have to live in hell in Sri Lanka,” said one detained woman.
The Canada Border Services Agency is trying to determine the migrants’ identities and whether any are former Tamil Tiger guerrillas. Public Safety Minister Vic Toews has said he was concerned Tamil Tigers were on board.
As the National Post first reported last weekend, the minister alleges the migrant smuggling ship was a moneymaking venture by elements of the rebel organization.
He said they charged $40,000 to $50,000 a head and probably paid about $1-million for the ship. That could give them a profit of $20-million. He said the smugglers are closely watching Canada’s response and that more ships may be coming.
The RCMP is investigating.
The migrants’ letters say conditions in Sri Lanka remain harsh for ethnic Tamils. Sri Lanka is emerging from a lengthy civil war between government forces and separatist Tamil Tigers guerrillas.
“The Sri Lankan Government says that the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka has come to an end. However, neither the Prevention of Terrorism Act (which allows for arbitrary arrest of civilians) nor the Emergency Regulations Act have been abolished,” one of the letters reads.
“Innocent Tamil people detained in prisons have not been released. Displaced civilians have not been resettled in their own homes. Instead, there is widespread occurrences of disappearances, mass murders and extortion.”
National Post
sbell@nationalpost.com
Letter 1:
These are the views we wish to express to the Canadian Government, Canadian people, media and Canadian Tamil Congress regarding our plight.
1. Initially, we would like to express our gratitude to the Canadian Government and the people of Canada. When we made our plea from the Pacific Ocean “we are civilians, please save us”, you did not hesitate to come and take us ashore and provide us with food, water, and fruits. This has assured us with the safety of our lives.
2. The Sri Lankan Government says that the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka has come to an end. However, neither the Prevention of Terrorism Act [which allows for arbitrary arrest of civilians] nor the Emergency Regulations Act have been abolished. Innocent Tamil people detained in prisons have not been released. Displaced civilians have not been resettled in their own homes. Instead, there is widespread occurrences of disappearances, mass murders and extortion. The Sri Lankan Government is only conducting false propaganda internationally for its personal gains.
3. We would like to ask the Canadian people and the Canadian Government to have faith in us to believe that we are innocent civilians who have been affected by the conflict. We are not terrorists. We would also like to let you know that we will abide and live by the laws of this country.
Letter 2:
We, the people who have arrived in the ship “Sun Sea” would like to express the following to the Canadian people and the Canadian Government:
We have undergone severe hardships with very little or no access to basic necessities such as food, water, sleeping space, medicine and sanitary facilities. We have traveled for almost four months with much suffering and pain. We have come here, to this wonderful country Canada, to protect ourselves and our family members from the murders, disappearances and violence that still exist in our native country.
As a country which has embraced immigrants and migrants, we hope and believe that you will accept us, the refugees and we vow to wholeheartedly abide by the law and order of this country.
- Tamil people from the Sun Sea ship
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