Refugees or Fugitives?

There are those people who live their lives with an open door policy on nearly everything.  Acceptance is not only a word to them but a way of life.  They accept circumstances all under the guise of political correctness with a liberal dose of 'what ever'.  These same people are those that see others who like to examine circumstances around them with a critical eye as being intolerant, ignorant and yes even racist.  In a word, everyone else are nothing but a bunch of xenophobes.

The recent arrival of refugees from Sri Lanka, who landed on the coast of British Columbia aboard the MV Sun Sea from Thailand has brought Canada's liberal immigration practices in question.  It has also given some on the press the opportunity to call our current government, and many average Canadians as xenophobic. In a word, “Xenophobia” is an unreasonable fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange.

The key here is “unreasonable” because quite frankly, there is nothing unreasonable about questioning the motives of the Tamil asylum seekers.  The story behind the MV Sun Sea is littered with intrigue and slight of hand manipulation.  According to published reports the MV Sun Sea was purchased by a Mr. Kunarobinson, who is reported to be connected with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (Tamil Tigers). Kunarobinson, who disappeared after the ships purchase bought it on behalf of a shell company that came into existence only a year earlier.  Further some reports have named a veteran Tamil Tiger arms smuggler known as Vinod as the Captain of the MV Sun Sea while enroute to Canada.  In short, there are good reasons for officials here in Canada to vet the refugee status of everyone on board the MV Sun Sea.

So sitting on a ship off the coast of British Columbia are 500 asylum seekers from Sri Lanka, with a reported two more ships ready to set sail waiting in the wings watching to see how we accept asylum seekers from Sri Lanka.

For the Tamils choosing Canada as their place of refuge is a no-brainer.  Canada has a long reputation of having an open door for people seeking refugee status.  For example, in 1956, 37,000 Hungarians fleeing a failed revolution were allowed refugee status.  Following close behind in 1968, 11,000 people fled to Canada from former Czechoslovakia.  During the Vietnam War Era in 1971, 40,000 Americans were granted asylum and in 1999 Canada received 5,000 refugee from the war-torn Balkans.  In each one of these cases the Canadian government saw good reasons to grant refugee status.

The real question here is not so much whether Canada is a caring enough country to accept these people with open arms from a country that has been waging a Sri Lankan Civil War.  A war that the Tamil Tigers admitted defeat in May of 2009. But, should Canada as least stop them on the shore and place the onus on each individual to prove that they are not members of a terrorist organization of criminals, thugs and murderers?  Because quite frankly I want our government to send those types of people packing.

There is enough intelligence regarding the MV Sun Sea's mission to Canada to show that the Tamil Tigers planned this excursion two years ago when it became apparent that thay had all but lost the civil war.  History shows that the Tamil Tigers existance is littered with violence.  They have carried out many high profile attacks including the assassinations of several high-ranking Sri Lankan and Indian politicians including Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa in 1993, and former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991.  As a terrorist organization the Tamil Tigers also pioneered the use of suicide belts. It is no surprise that they are currently identified as a terrorist organization by 32 countries.

It would be fair to say that not all the people who landed here on the MV Sun Sea are members of, or have connections with the Tamil Tigers.  But to be accepted as a refugee a person has to prove they are in danger of torture and there is a risk to their life if returned to their home country.  If that were the case, one would expect that previous Tamil refugees who have found safety in Canada would still live in fear of their homeland.  A recent investigative report as reported by the Toronto Sun, showed that 71% of Tamil refugees here in Canada believe conditions in Sri Lanka are good enough, that they have gone back for a vacation. This report was backed up by the UN High Commissioner of Refugees who has gone on record and stated that so much has improved in Sri Lanka that no country in the world should assume that the Tamils are refugees.

So are the Tamils who are now being processed refugees or fugitives from Sri Lankan justice?  I believe in light of this incident it is reasonable for Canada to strengthen the laws governing those seeking asylum and immigration status.  Canada has become an easy target for foreign nationals to force our hands and circumvent proper immigration channels.