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Wednesday, October 13, 1999

Criminal case against suspected Chinese smugglers too weak: Crown
Nine of 600 face charges

Adrienne Tanner
National Post

Evidence against suspected members of a human smuggling ring on the first boat of Chinese migrants is too flimsy to support criminal charges, a Crown attorney overseeing the case has decided.

RCMP Corporal Grant Learned says police were informed last week that their case did not meet the "charge approval standard" applied to all criminal cases before charges are laid.

"My understanding is our report recommended charges under the Immigration Act for smuggling," Cpl. Learned said.

But the Crown prosecutor who reviewed the evidence said the charges would not stand up in court and returned the case to the RCMP.

Police are continuing the investigation and hope eventually to gather sufficient evidence to lay charges, he said.

The rusty ship was discovered on July 20 floating in Nootka Sound, off the coast of Vancouver Island. On board were 123 Chinese nationals, including 17 women and 13 teenage boys.

Police have identified passengers they believe were running the smuggling operation, but have had little luck convincing witnesses to co-operate with the investigation.

"People on these ships have been influenced by fear and threats of violence, not only against themselves but against their loved ones in Fujian province," Cpl. Learned said.

So far, only nine of the 600 Asian migrants who came to Canada by boat this summer are facing criminal charges.




RELATED SITES:

(Each link opens a new window)

  • Citizenship and Immigration Canada

    The brand-new white paper on immigration policy

  • Statistics Canada: Immigration and Citizenship

    Statistics from the 1996 national census that look at where Canadians came from.

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