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Tuesday, September 14, 1999

Another Chinese migrant ship heads toward B.C.: lawyer
One on way to Mexico: Probe into assault claims by migrants hits roadblock

Adrienne Tanner
National Post

Department of Defence
The second ship was spotted by the RCMP off the Queen Charlotte Islands on Aug. 11.

Steve Bosch, The Vancouver Sun
The fourth boat was seen Sept. 7, 30 kilometres northwest of Vancouver Island.

Mark Van Manen, The Vancouver Sun
The first of the recent migrant boats arrived July 20 at Nootka Sound on Vancouver Island.

Diana Nethercott, National Post
The third boat was tracked by an Aurora aircraft on Aug. 31.

Another ship filled with Chinese migrants is travelling to Canada, according to an immigration lawyer representing some of the nearly 600 refugees who have arrived off the coast of British Columbia this summer.

Kevin Doyle, a Victoria lawyer, said one of his clients called his mother in China who told him two more boats are on the way.

"One is on the way to B.C., the other on the way to Mexico," Mr. Doyle said.

A source within the immigration department confirmed that at least one more boat is headed to Canada, but George Varnai, spokesman for Canada Immigration, said that while officials have heard the rumours, they have not spotted any boats.

Nearly 600 Chinese migrants, most from the Fujian province, have arrived by ship off the coast of B.C. since July, seeking refugee status. Some have paid Chinese smugglers as much as $70,000 (U.S.) to make the trip.

At the makeshift refugee holding centre in CFB Esquimalt where many of the migrants are staying, an RCMP inspector from Port Alberni has begun investigating allegations of police brutality against the migrants.

Insp. Lou Racz was assigned to the investigation after local lawyers and the Canadian Council of Refugees complained migrants were being intimidated, bullied and assaulted by immigration staff and RCMP officers guarding the camp. The lawyers say they have recorded instances where migrants were shoved, screamed at, strip-searched and denied access to their lawyers.

Insp. Racz is asking lawyers for names of the migrants and details of their complaints to aid in the investigation, Mr. Doyle said.

However, local lawyers are reluctant to divulge the information.

"We have solicitor-client privilege and these people have told us in confidence," Mr. Doyle said. Once the refugee hearings are over and the migrants are no longer in custody, they may be more willing to file public complaints, he said.

Superintendent Jim Good said the investigation is proof the RCMP takes the allegations seriously.

But he warned it will be impossible to investigate without talking to the complainants.

"I regret that Mr. Doyle and others would adopt this position. It really handcuffs us," Supt. Good said.

The refugee board is fully independent and makes decisions free from political or police interference, he added.

Janet Dench, executive director of the Canadian Council for Refugees, said the migrants have good reason to be suspicious of an investigation launched by the very police force they are accusing of mistreatment.

"We called for an independent investigation. We don't think it's very satisfactory to have the police investigating themselves. You end up with a certain doubt in your mind about whether they're really unbiased."




RELATED SITES:

(Each link opens a new window)

  • Citizenship and Immigration Canada

    The brand-new white paper on immigration policy

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

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