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By Allan Dowd
ESQUIMALT, British Columbia (Reuters) - Dozens of Chinese citizens who crossed the Pacific Ocean jammed in a dilapidated ship in a bid to sneak into Canada were in custody Wednesday as authorities sought the ringleaders of the human smuggling operation.
Canadian authorities took 122 people off the former fishing boat that had been at sea for nearly six weeks before it was discovered Tuesday in a isolated bay on the west coast of Vancouver Island. They were taken to a military base early Wednesday for processing and questioning.
The passengers, who may have paid as much as $38,000 each to make the journey, were described as hungry and tired as they emerged from the 180-foot boat that had only wooden planks to sleep on in the crowded hold, officials said.
``The conditions on board were generally filthy. The hold was unlivable. There was human waste in the hold,'' said James Redmond, an official of the Citizenship and Immigration Canada office on Vancouver Island.
``Imagine your worst nightmare of being on a ship,'' Redmond told reporters, adding authorities had little doubt it was an organized human smuggling operation.
The incident was one of the largest arrivals of illegal immigrants in Canada by boat in recent years. But authorities admitted they were not totally surprised to find them after receiving reports of similar attempts recently to enter New Zealand and Australia.
Details about the passengers were unclear because of language difficulties, but authorities said it appeared the boat left the southern Chinese province of Fujian nearly 40 days ago destined for Canada.
``Our current assumption is that they were attempting to unload somewhere on the (west) coast,'' said George Varnai, another Citizenship and Immigration official.
The boat, designed for deep-sea fishing, had its identification markings concealed with dark gray paint. Authorities said they have identified 11 people in the group who were either crew or ``ringleaders''.
The ship was taken to Gold River, a small industrial port, on the island's mountainous and sparsely populated west coast. The passengers were taken by school bus to a Canadian Forces base at Esquimalt, near Victoria, capital of British Columbia.
Despite the deplorable conditions -- contaminated water for drinking and cooking -- no major illnesses or injuries were reported among the passengers.
Authorities said two people attempted to escape on a raft but were captured. Media reports said the two men were carrying a large amount of U.S. currency, but authorities said that was not confirmed.
Smuggling people out of mainland China has become a major business for international criminal gangs. Smugglers operating out of the Fujian province are charging between $10,000 to $30,000 per person to get them to new countries.
One man told Canadian authorities he had paid $38,000 to make the trip, Redmond said.
The United States and Canada are favorite destinations, but Australia and New Zealand have reported increased numbers of illegal immigrants attempting to enter by sea. A boat with 102 Chinese on board was detained by New Zealand last month.
Under Canadian law, it will be relatively easy for the people discovered Tuesday to claim refugee status and they may be allowed to allowed to remain in the country for several months as their cases are heard.
($1-$1.50 Canadian)
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