RCMP in British Columbia say a tip from U.S. authorities helped them
find 25 Chinese men hiding deep beneath the decks of a cargo ship docked
in the Port of Vancouver.
The 21 men and four boys had been living in two cramped shipping
containers that were buried under other containers inside the ship's
hold.
"There were an additional 58 containers piled on top of it so there was
no chance to move outside the container," said RCMP spokesman Grant
Learned on Tuesday.
The ship, California Jupiter left Hong Kong Dec. 20, and was
heading to Seattle. The stowaways survived the fifteen day voyage in
what Learned described as, "primitive conditions".
"You have to imagine you had 12 and 13 people respectively in containers
that measure roughly 40 by 10 feet," he said.
The migrants had food and water but only a couple of plastic pails were
used to hold the human and food waste.
Immigration officials are questioning the men who say they want to
remain in Canada.
Last summer, four ships were intercepted off the coast of B.C. carrying
almost 600 illegal Chinese immigrants. Most of them have claimed refugee
status.
The latest ship found in Vancouver is believed to be linked to a second
ship from Hong Kong that docked in Seattle on Sunday with 12 stowaways
aboard.
Three Chinese men, found waiting in a van parked near the ship, were
ordered held in Seattle Monday and will likely be deported.
Meanwhile, in Long Beach, California, 18 Chinese migrants were detained
after being found inside a cargo container aboard a ship that reportedly
left Hong Kong nearly three weeks ago.
The ship had docked in B.C. before reaching Long Beach.
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