Canada proceeds in processing Tamil Migrants

An anticipated 490 Tamil migrants arrived by way of a cargo ship seeking refugee shelter at the shores of western Canada today. They arrived earlier today near a Canadian Forces Base within the province of British Columbia. The migrants are believed to be Tamils from Sri Lanka who left their homeland in May spending almost three months at sea. Five ambulances started delivering migrants from the cargo ship to Victoria General Hospital. Security screening prevented a clear view of how many people were exiting from the ambulances that started arriving late morning. The cries of young children could be heard behind the security fence.

Security investigations immediately commenced by the Canadian Border Services Agency as well as the RCMP to determine whether this was a case of refugees combined with human smugglers or and as well whether if a portion of the 490 migrants were terrorists. As there is speculation that criminals or terrorists may have hijacked the ship, namely the Tamil Tiger Terrorist organization that have been outlawed from the lands of Canada since 2006. Canada has been very welcoming of refugees, but the government will be going through the process to ensure that the refugee system is not being abused.

The migrants are being transported from a Canadian Forces Base within British Columbia to various destinations, including Victoria General Hospital and the Wilkinson Road Jail in Victoria, British Columbia. On board the ship included, a six month old infant and two pregnant women who have been taken to a Victoria hospital today as the first passengers from a migrant ship that arrived earlier in the.

Canada has long been seen as a desirable haven to those seeking asylum, providing sanctuary to American slaves covertly traveling the Underground Railroad in the mid1800s to displaced people arriving from Europe following the close of the Second World War to Vietnamese families arriving on the shores of Canada in the late 70s.
In the years following the Vietnam War, over one million refugees fled the war ravaged countries of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. But the process of accepting refugees has also stirred controversy. In the 1930s, Canada accepted a modest 4,000 Jewish refugees seeking asylum amid begrudging public acceptance. In recent years, critics have claimed Canada's refugee policy is too lax, allowing rejected claimants to remain in the country too long. In June 2010, the federal government passed new legislation to speed the process of processing refugees.

In the first half of 2009, Canada fielded 18,700 new asylum claims. In comparison with 44 other industrialized countries, Canada was the third largest recipient of asylum applications, trailing the United States and France. The report also found the number of asylum applications in 2009 held steady with the year before, with 377,200 applications submitted.

Tamil families desperate to reunite with relatives and hopefully all does go well.