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Tuesday, August 17, 1999

Exclusion orders issued for 77 of 131 migrants
Processing continues

Stewart Bell
National Post

ESQUIMALT, B.C. - More than half the Chinese boat people who arrived on the West Coast last week aboard a Korean smuggling ship are being deported after failing to make refugee claims, immigration officials said yesterday.

Almost a week after they were dropped on the Queen Charlotte Islands, 77 of the 131 migrants had indicated they had come to Canada to improve their economic standing rather than out of any fear of persecution.

The Immigration Department has issued exclusion orders against them, meaning they can no longer make a refugee claim and must be deported. Barring any appeals to the Federal Court, they could be returned to China within weeks.

Only 10 have said they intend to claim refugee status. Another 44 are still being processed. They include 43 youths as young as 11 who made the journey from China's Fujian province without their parents.

"From our analysis, it appears the primary motive for coming to Canada was for economic reasons," said Jim Redmond, manager of Citizenship and Immigration Canada. "There's an intention in coming to Canada to work. There's an experience of poverty in the country they've left. They've indicated to us they want to make money, more money than they're making in their country of origin."

Meanwhile, the nine Koreans accused of transporting the migrants to Canada made a brief court appearance yesterday to face charges of smuggling humans. Charged under the Immigration Act are: Dook Yun Im, Sun Kun Ko, Sang Sin O, Chang Young Kim, Juh Un Kim, Chung Un Choi, Chong Sub Park, Yang Kuk Cho and Young Ho Kim.

They wore green prison coveralls as they were led into the courtroom, while an interpreter explained the proceedings.

There was confusion as the judge hearing the case initially closed the court to reporters for health reasons. The judge then said reporters could attend -- if they wore surgical masks. After purchasing the masks from a nearby dentist, reporters were allowed into the courtroom.

The case was put over until Aug. 26.

It is unclear why the judge ordered masks be worn in court. The accused are not quarantined and appeared in good health.

The ship that brought the migrants was towed to Victoria today where it, along with another vessel that brought migrants earlier in the summer, are under seizure by Canada's Immigration Department. If the ships are not claimed in 31 days, Ottawa will get rid of them.

Immigration officials began processing the migrants on Friday, but were surprised to find few of them making refugee claims. During the second phase of immigration processing, which began Sunday, only a few made claims.

Immigration lawyers have complained that the migrants were not adequately represented during the immigration screening process. But Mr. Redmond said they had no right to legal representation in the initial stages. They were later offered lawyers, but some indicated they did not want one, he said.

The two loads of boat people to hit Canada's West Coast have cost the Immigration Department an estimated $750,000 -- $350,000 for the first ship and $400,000 for the second.




RELATED SITES:

(Each link opens a new window)

  • Citizenship and Immigration Canada

    The brand-new white paper on immigration policy

  • Statistics Canada: Immigration and Citizenship

    Statistics from the 1996 national census that look at where Canadians came from.

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