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Intercepted ship


Illegal immigrants begin hearings in B.C. Tuesday
WebPosted Mon Jul 26 22:44:35 1999

VANCOUVER - Immigration hearings begin Tuesday for the Chinese migrants found off the coast of British Columbia last week.

Immigration officials will decide if the 123 people, being held under close watch at Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt, will be allowed to go free.

They were transferred into custody last Wednesday after the Coast Guard stopped their ship, which was listing off Vancouver Island. It's believed the group is part of a human smuggling operation.

Most of the migrants have since applied for refugee status. Under Canadian law, refugees can only be held for seven days, but immigration officials want to keep most of them in custody. They say they haven't yet been able to confirm their identities.

None of the would-be immigrants had passports or other identification documents when they were taken into custody.

The RCMP has said all 123 immigrants will be handcuffed when they go to the hearings. They're concerned about security issues and potential weapons found on some of the immigrants.

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