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Wednesday, August 18, 1999

Officials puzzled by high number of child migrants
More than 50 Chinese children travelled on ships without an adult

Adrienne Tanner, Marina Jimenez and Stewart Bell
National Post

Government officials are mystified by the unprecedented arrival of more than 50 unaccompanied children who travelled to Canada without parents or guardians on two ships smuggling migrants from China's Fujian province.

Lois Boone, B.C.'s Minister of Children and Families, said her staff has even called other countries looking for some insight.

"My staff has been in discussion with Australia to find out what their history is, and they say they don't normally get that number of children on their own."

Ms. Boone said she can't understand why so many parents risked sending their children across the ocean on ships that were barely seaworthy. "It certainly causes us a great deal of concern and is something that's unique."

The first boat, which landed in Nootka Sound on July 20, had 17 unaccompanied teenage boys aged 14 to 18. All have filed refugee claims and most are living in group homes under ministry care.

As many as 40 unaccompanied children are believed to have come on the second boatload of people who waded to shore on Aug. 11 on the Queen Charlotte Islands. Immigration officials are still trying to determine how many are without guardians. Among the second group are 18 girls, ranging from age 11 to 18.

The cost of housing the children is $8,200 per month, per child, said Ms. Boone, who plans to ask the federal government to help pay the bill. If the children win their refugee claims, the ministry will be obliged to care for them until they turn 19.

Immigration officials have said that 77 of the adult migrants will be deported after they indicated they came to Canada to improve their economic standing, and not because they fear persecution.

But an immigration lawyer said yesterday that many of the migrants do fear persecution if they are returned to China, but appear unaware that they have the right to make a refugee claim.

Kevin Doyle, a lawyer who interviewed 20 migrants yesterday, said many of the women told him they have suffered as a result of China's one-child policy. They must visit the doctor every three months to ensure they are not pregnant. In some cases, if they miss an appointment, they are forced to have a tubal ligation or an IUD inserted. One woman said that she nearly died after being forced to have an abortion when she was seven months pregnant.

The Canadian Council for Refugees wants an independent investigation into the conduct of immigration officials dealing with the migrants. In one case, the group said, an immigration officer noted that a migrant wanted to make a refugee claim because she feared she would be beaten and jailed in China, but an exclusion order was issued against her anyway, meaning she must return to China. Such orders are issued when a refugee claim is not made.'




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