Third ship spotted off B.C. coast
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Third ship spotted off B.C. coast
Immigration, military authorities mobilize as
suspect vessel approaches Canadian waters

KIM LUNMAN
British Columbia Bureau; With a report from Canadian Press
Tuesday, August 31, 1999

Victoria -- Another ship suspected of carrying Chinese migrants was heading toward the coast of British Columbia last night in what has become an increasingly familiar scenario in human smuggling.

The ship, the third off B.C. in five weeks, was spotted yesterday by a Canadian Forces long-range patrol plane nearing Canadian waters off the north coast of Vancouver Island.

Immigration authorities, RCMP officers, the Canadian Coast Guard and National Defence were mobilizing last night in Port Hardy.

"It has the profile of a smugglers' ship," said Lieutenant-Commander Gerry Pash, public affairs officer for Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt.

But officials were releasing few details of the movements and location of the suspected smugglers' ship for fear of the safety of Canadian authorities and passengers.

Port Hardy Mayor Russ Hellberg, citing reports from the RCMP to local officials, said: "The word is to expect 40 [people]. It's not that big a ship."

He had no further details.

The ship was detected yesterday by the crew of a CP-140 Aurora aircraft from 407 Maritime Patrol Squadron at CFB Comox while doing routine surveillance.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada had activated a marine-response team to deal with the arrival of the illegal migrants at sea.
Jim Redmond, manager of Immigration Canada for Vancouver Island, said he could not comment on the suspected ship or speculate on how many passengers could be aboard.

"It's really too premature to tell," he said.

RCMP Constable Tracey Rook said late yesterday: "We're heading up to the area. I don't have any details at this time."

Safety is a concern after the interception earlier this month of another ship from China led to a two-day high-seas chase that resulted in 131 migrants, including 44 children, being dumped by the ship's crew on a remote beach in the Queen Charlotte Islands. One of the migrants was treated for hypothermia in hospital and another man, believed to be in his early 20s, was never found and is presumed dead after an extensive four-day search of Kunghit Island.

The 131 passengers were malnourished after 60 days at sea, including 10 days spent adrift after a mechanical breakdown.

Another boatload of 123 illegal Chinese migrants arrived at Nootka Sound on July 20. That ship, described as a "death trap," was pulled ashore near Gold River after it was spotted off the west coast of Vancouver Island.

The arrival of the two ships has sparked an angry backlash against the illegal migrants and debate over Canada's refugee laws.

The Chinese migrants paid smugglers or "snakeheads" up to $40,000 (U.S.) for a voyage to North America, which they call Gold Mountain. Once here, many owe their smugglers most of their debt and work it off in low-paying jobs.

Police believe both ships are tied to organized crime, and investigations into the human smuggling -- the biggest in Canada's history -- are continuing.

The second ship was met by protesters in Port Hardy. A Victoria newspaper ran a front-page headline saying "Go home," along with a poll in which 97 per cent of respondents favoured deporting the group.

U.S. authorities, meanwhile, are trying to determine whether two other ships of illegal Chinese migrants intercepted earlier this month in the South Pacific, one near Guam and the other near Hawaii, were destined for Canada or the United States.

"There were some signs they might have been going to Canada," Don Mueller, a spokesman for the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, said in an interview yesterday. "But we think they were destined for the U.S. The interviewing process is still going on."

Another shipload of 132 Chinese migrants were found in a smugglers' ship docked in Savannah, Ga., on Aug. 12.

RCMP are still investigating the organizers behind both ships that arrived in B.C. this summer. The crew of the second ship, which dumped its human cargo, are charged with forcing a person to disembark at sea. The charge, under the Immigration Act, carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail and a $500,000 fine.

SIX SHIPS

Five smugglers' ships carrying a total of about 561 illegal Chinese migrants were intercepted in North American waters between July 20 and Aug. 27. A sixth suspicious ship was spotted yesterday off the north shore of Vancouver Island near Port Hardy.

July 20: A rusty ship carrying 123 Chinese migrants is spotted and towed off the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Aug. 11: Another ship carrying 131 Chinese migrants dumps its human cargo on a remote beach on the Queen Charlotte Islands; its captain and crew are later arrested.

Aug. 12: 132 Chinese migrants are discovered in the hold of a ship docked in Savannah, Ga.

Aug. 15: The U.S. Coast Guard intercepts a ship carrying 100 Chinese migrants, some saying they are headed for Vancouver, near the Mariana Islands, south of Japan.

Aug. 27: About 75 Chinese migrants are rescued in a broken-down boat off the South Pacific island of Midway near Hawaii by the U.S. Coast Guard after being adrift for 30 days. Their destination is unknown.

Aug. 30: The Canadian navy spots a suspected smugglers' ship believed to be carrying Chinese migrants off the north shore of Vancouver Island.



More National News
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by Robert Matas and Kim Lunman - Wednesday, September 1, 1999

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Unilateral blacklisting by U.S. rejected in favour of less confrontational process
by Graham Fraser - Wednesday, September 1, 1999

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Details of 'Bingogate' scandal unveiled publicly for first time
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by Rod Mickleburgh - Wednesday, September 1, 1999


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