Wednesday, August 18, 1999

CANADA

Welcome mat out for dog with illegal immigrants

AGENCIES in Vancouver

While many of the 131 Chinese migrants arrested last week after swimming
ashore from a smugglers' ship face being sent back to China, a dog who
accompanied them across the Pacific Ocean is likely to get a new home in
Canada.

Lynn West, of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in
Victoria, said the dog was "very well-mannered, very nice" and in
good
shape despite having spent nearly 60 days at sea in the fishing trawler.

Ms West said the dog apparently belonged to one of the boat's nine-member
South Korean crew. They appeared in court on Monday on smuggling charges.

She predicted the dog would have little difficulty in finding a Canadian
home, in contrast to the boat people, whose arrival has prompted calls for
tougher Canadian laws against illegal immigration.

Canadian immigration officials said many of the people on the boat had
confessed they were economic migrants. They plan to deport 77 of them.

Immigration Canada spokesman Jim Redmond said only 10 of the 131 Chinese
intercepted last week had had their refugee applications accepted. Another
43, all minors, were under government care.

A search is continuing for one Chinese man. He is believed to be on a
small, uninhabited island in the Queen Charlotte chain 650km north of
Vancouver, but is not expected to have survived five days in the open.

All 123 Chinese illegal immigrants who arrived on Canada's Pacific coast
aboard another boat on July 20 have been released from detention and
accepted as refugee claimants.

Immigration lawyers have raised concerns that the latest arrivals were not
told of their rights to claim refugee status. But Mr Redmond said under
Canada's Immigration Act, migrants were not entitled to a lawyer during
their first interview with officials.See cartoon in comment.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Published in the South China Morning Post.  Copyright © 1999.  All rights
reserved.