UN eyes Canada over
treatment of Chinese boatpeople WebPosted
Thu Sep 16 07:50:02 1999
VANCOUVER - The United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees is looking into the treatment of Chinese
migrants in detention in British Columbia after complaints that some
have been mistreated by police.
'We're in the
process of making recommendations to the Canadian government
on areas of concern.'
- UNHCR
| Lawyers for the migrants,
detained as their ships attempted to enter Canada illegally, have
accused police of roughing up some of the people, subjecting others
to unnecessary strip searches and generally, tormenting them by
sending attack dogs into their sleeping quarters at night.
A representative of the UNHCR looked into CFB Esquimalt. Suzanne
Duff says she's satisified the migrants are being well looked after
there. But she is concerned about others being held in B.C. jails.
"I was relieved at the state of the people who were there (CFB
Esquimalt) by the general tone and atmosphere at the base, and I
found nothing that gave me concern about the state of the people who
were there," Duff told CBC News.
Duff says her agency is concerned about conditions facing many of
the 300 or so migrants being held in jails until their refugee
hearings.
There, several women have been separated from their children, and
other migrants have been forced to mix with the general prison
population.
Senior UN staff will meet with federal officals next week to
discuss the concerns, Duff said.
"We're in the process of making recommendations to the Canadian
government on areas of concern."
Detaining refugee claimants in B.C.'s corrections system has been
common practice for decades. But never before have so many been kept
behind bars at once.
Starting next week, many migrants are to be moved to a recently
closed institution in Prince George. They'll still be in jail, but
at least they won't be surrounded by criminals, officials say.
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