Canada's Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said Monday that Ottawa is concerned over the possibility that there may be Tamil Tigers on board the Thai cargo ship and the authorities are closely monitoring the situation but did not elaborate on the steps the government would take.
Toews said the human smuggling through the sea route is a particular concern for the Canadian government.
"I think it's important to send a message that Canada should not be viewed as easy entry into North America and that we are very concerned about security issues," the Minister has reportedly said.
The Canadian Defence Ministry earlier this month said it is prepared to intercept the ship, MV Sun Sea, reportedly carrying about 200 suspected asylum seekers including women and children from Sri Lanka.
Last October when Ocean Lady with 76 Sri Lankans, all males, arrived, Canada dispatched HMCS Regina to escort the ship, and took the migrants into custody. All migrants have now been released but their asylum claims are still being processed.
The United States said last week that its Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Coast Guard are monitoring the ship that is now sailing in the Pacific and expected to arrive in Vancouver Island this week.
"We are tracking this ship and we're prepared to take appropriate action if need be," a spokesman of the US State Department said.
LTTE is a banned terrorist organization both in Canada and the United States.
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