Thursday, August 05

KIM LUNMAN
British Columbia Bureau
Thursday, August 5, 1999

Victoria -- There was still confusion yesterday around the identities of illegal Chinese immigrants even as immigration officials freed nearly two-thirds of 123 passengers smuggled aboard a decrepit ship discovered off the coast of Vancouver Island two weeks ago.

Immigration officials said Tuesday that they were satisfied with the identities of 81 of the passengers and would release them in Victoria. But yesterday three of the 81 were sent to a Vancouver jail when new information contradicted their stories.

The three women joined 34 other immigrants in a Vancouver remand centre. They are being detained as suspects in one of Canada's biggest human-smuggling investigations, a case that has sparked a national debate over refugee laws.

"Some information has come to light that has caused us some concern about their identities," RCMP Constable Tracey Rook said. She refused to give further details.

Constable Rook said the 37 -- eight women, one 17-year-old youth and 28 men -- are "all individuals we believe may have been crew members and involved in the transshipment of migrants."

Immigration officials are seeking to continue the detention of the 37 people when hearings are held today in Vancouver.

Eight teenaged boys on the ship have been released to child-welfare authorities.

Vancouver Reform MP John Reynolds said yesterday that the release of the 78 other passengers sends a "scary" signal to overseas smugglers. He questioned the release of most of the claimants without any formal proof of their identification.

"The message is, 'Fill up the ships,' " he said. "It's scary to think what's happening."

Nearly 100 RCMP officers and Canadian Immigration officers have been trying to piece together the puzzle of the claimants' identities with the help of 17 Mandarin translators since the ship, which has been described as "a death trap," was intercepted by the Coast Guard near Nootka Sound on July 20.

They had been locked up under tight security at a gymnasium at a navy base in Victoria since they arrived.

"It's been a very complex case," Constable Rook said. "These individuals have no documents on them. We have to rely on information they give us."

Police, immigration authorities and legal-aid lawyers have interviewed all 123 claimants. They have attempted to verify their identities through phone calls to China, and sent their fingerprints and photographs to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and the RCMP.

Immigration authorities are waiting for formal proof of the claimants' identities to be faxed from the Canadian embassy in Beijing after the immigrants' relatives were contacted in China. They say they are waiting for marriage certificates, identification cards and family registration numbers.

"To the best of our abilities, we are satisfied with who these people are," Jim Redmond, Vancouver Island's Immigration Canada manager, said yesterday.

The RCMP is forwarding a report to the federal Justice Department recommending a charge under the Immigration Act for human smuggling that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail and a $500,000 fine.

Investigators say they believe that organized crime is involved, but they refuse to release further details. It is not yet known how many of the 37 detained claimants face criminal charges.

All 123 of the passengers aboard the ship that set sail from Fujian province in China in June are claiming refugee status. They have no identification documents and many have told investigators that they paid or promised up to $40,000 (U.S.) for a ticket to a new life in North America.

The 78 released passengers are to report to immigration officials with their addresses and appear in Vancouver's immigration office later this month. Canada-wide warrants will be issued for their arrests if they fail to comply.

Any people arriving at Canada's borders from another country can claim refugee status. They must prove they have a well-founded fear of persecution if returned to their country based on the grounds of nationality, religion, race, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.

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