Refugee-Smuggling
How does it possibly profit Canada to accept as refugees an ethnic group far more invested in what they have left behind in their war-torn country of origin than in looking aspirationally toward the future of achievements and mutual benefits in their new country? There is a very high percentage of acceptance by Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board for Sri Lankan Tamils seeking refuge in Canada.
Canada has a whopping number of Sri Lankans settled in the country, roughly 400,000, representing the largest such expatriate community outside Sri Lanka. The outlawed secessionist group considered terrorists by the United States, Canada and the EU established a presence within Canada among the Sri Lankan population, and looked for recruits and funding from Tamils, resorting to threats and violence to ensure their message was heard.
After the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in 2009 following thirty years of incessant violence, targeting Sri Lankan government officials, its army and civilians, as well as those among the Tamil population that protested the modus operandi of the Tamil Tigers, those who remained in Sri Lanka began to look for a new base of operations. And it would appear that they have honoured Canada by selecting this country as their new base.
"We don't know how far advanced it is, but their intent is pretty clear: to set up a base-in-exile here for the leadership. Some leadership is already here", claims a federal government employee. A succession of refugee smuggling ships have come alongside Canada's West Coast carrying desperate Sri Lankan refugees who have paid tens of thousands of dollars each to the southeast Asian smugglers for their passage.
Among them have surely been members of the Tamil Tigers. That suspicion has led the Immigration and Refugee Board to carefully inspect all refugee seekers from Sri Lanka. It is puzzling that Tamils continue to flood out of the country since the Sri Lankan government has recognized past human rights violations against their minority Tamil population and has committed to rectifying them.
As a result fewer refugee claims have been accepted, but Tamils still represent the highest acceptance rate of any refugee-claiming group. Figures provided by the IRB indicate that over 80% of all Sri Lankan claims were accepted last year. That number has fluctuated from 47% to 43%, back to 67% and finally 76%; a drop from 90.7% back in 2009. Quite unusual given Canada's overall acceptance rate for refugees in 2010 from all sources was 38%.
Why preferential treatment continues to be extended for Tamils is puzzling, given the past experience in the country with fund raising and people-resourcing for the Tamil Tigers.
Given the warning issued with respect to Canada being planned as a new base for the Tigers it makes good sense for the open invitation to be tidied up and tightened considerably. Yet Canadian human rights groups and Canadian-based Tamils urge compassion for the plight of the migrants. Whose 'plight' is nowhere comparable now to that of desperate people confined in refugee camps in various parts of the world.
The planned implementation of a 'transnational' government to continue to plan for an eventual Tamil state and the purported decision to make Canada that destination until such time as the longed-for state eventuates might seem innocent enough, but with the violent and bloody reputation of the Tamil Tigers this is not an event Canada would wish to lend itself to.
On the event horizon is a continuing package of sea-voyaging illegal trafficking in refugees hoping to jump the refugee-queue into Canada. The Harper government's plans to push through more straitened anti-smuggling legislation resulting in tough new laws against refugee smuggling should help ameliorate the situation.
Canada has a whopping number of Sri Lankans settled in the country, roughly 400,000, representing the largest such expatriate community outside Sri Lanka. The outlawed secessionist group considered terrorists by the United States, Canada and the EU established a presence within Canada among the Sri Lankan population, and looked for recruits and funding from Tamils, resorting to threats and violence to ensure their message was heard.
After the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in 2009 following thirty years of incessant violence, targeting Sri Lankan government officials, its army and civilians, as well as those among the Tamil population that protested the modus operandi of the Tamil Tigers, those who remained in Sri Lanka began to look for a new base of operations. And it would appear that they have honoured Canada by selecting this country as their new base.
"We don't know how far advanced it is, but their intent is pretty clear: to set up a base-in-exile here for the leadership. Some leadership is already here", claims a federal government employee. A succession of refugee smuggling ships have come alongside Canada's West Coast carrying desperate Sri Lankan refugees who have paid tens of thousands of dollars each to the southeast Asian smugglers for their passage.
Among them have surely been members of the Tamil Tigers. That suspicion has led the Immigration and Refugee Board to carefully inspect all refugee seekers from Sri Lanka. It is puzzling that Tamils continue to flood out of the country since the Sri Lankan government has recognized past human rights violations against their minority Tamil population and has committed to rectifying them.
As a result fewer refugee claims have been accepted, but Tamils still represent the highest acceptance rate of any refugee-claiming group. Figures provided by the IRB indicate that over 80% of all Sri Lankan claims were accepted last year. That number has fluctuated from 47% to 43%, back to 67% and finally 76%; a drop from 90.7% back in 2009. Quite unusual given Canada's overall acceptance rate for refugees in 2010 from all sources was 38%.
Why preferential treatment continues to be extended for Tamils is puzzling, given the past experience in the country with fund raising and people-resourcing for the Tamil Tigers.
Given the warning issued with respect to Canada being planned as a new base for the Tigers it makes good sense for the open invitation to be tidied up and tightened considerably. Yet Canadian human rights groups and Canadian-based Tamils urge compassion for the plight of the migrants. Whose 'plight' is nowhere comparable now to that of desperate people confined in refugee camps in various parts of the world.
The planned implementation of a 'transnational' government to continue to plan for an eventual Tamil state and the purported decision to make Canada that destination until such time as the longed-for state eventuates might seem innocent enough, but with the violent and bloody reputation of the Tamil Tigers this is not an event Canada would wish to lend itself to.
On the event horizon is a continuing package of sea-voyaging illegal trafficking in refugees hoping to jump the refugee-queue into Canada. The Harper government's plans to push through more straitened anti-smuggling legislation resulting in tough new laws against refugee smuggling should help ameliorate the situation.
Labels: Canada, Conflict, Crisis Politics, Government of Canada
posted by Pieface | 6:52 PM
1 Comments:
I'm not certain what the conditions are for Tamils since the civil war ended, but is it really reasonable to think that they were in grave danger 18 months ago and now they are perfectly safe? The government is less aggressive because the rebels have been defeated, but this could be a lull instead of a permanent change in the government's stance.
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