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 Immigration, military authorities mobilize as suspect vessel approaches Canadian waters KIM LUNMAN
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. "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 SHIPSFive 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. Reform Party demands Parliament be recalled to debate refugee policy; Caplan says there's no rush by Robert Matas and Kim Lunman - Wednesday, September 1, 1999 Canada urges new approach in
drug war Coast Guard's efforts earn
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scandal unveiled publicly for first time
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