Read: In TAMIL
According to a report in Ottawa Citizen, smugglers are preparing to ship at least 400 more Sri Lankan refugees and potential Tamil Tiger rebels from two unnamed Southeast Asian ports to British Columbia coast.
A federal government source has told the Ottawa Citizen that two separate smuggling syndicates are organizing two boats to ship the Tamil migrants.
"The syndicates, as far as our intelligence tells us, have not gotten ships, they're in the process of trying to find ships, each capable of carrying 200 to 300 passengers. These (two) are the ones that we are aware of. There could be more," the source has said.
According to the government official, the smugglers are assembling the refugee groups in staging areas for a ship to take them. The government authorities expect Tamil Tiger terrorist will be among the migrants.
The authorities expect the ships to depart the South Asian ports in March when the weather improves.
An investigative report by Globe and Mail in August last year revealed that an alleged Tamil Tiger human-smuggling ring is preparing to smuggle another shipload of Tamils who have left Sri Lanka to be sent to Canada.
The Globe and Mail report said the Tamils arrive in Bangkok from Sri Lanka on two-week tourist visas and stay in rented apartments pretending to be tourists until the next ship is ready to sail to Canada.
In August 2010 Thai cargo ship MV Sun Sea carried 492 Tamil migrants some of whom were alleged LTTE members to Vancouver Island in Canada. All the migrants have sought asylum in the country.
Last October Thai immigration officials raided several apartments in Bangkok and arrested 155 Sri Lankan Tamil immigrants residing illegally. The Thai government suspects the illegal Tamil immigrants to be a part of a group seeking to travel to Canada as refugees.
Intelligence information have revealed that a number of LTTE Tamil Tigers were among the Sri Lankan illegal immigrants living in Thailand waiting to seek asylum in a third country, mainly Canada.
According to the Canadian official after the Sun Sea, Thai authorities have figured out the smugglers' operation.
"It wasn't in their best interests to allow this to keep happening because it would cause a huge influx of refugees and potential terrorists and they didn't want a Tamil Tiger base set up in Thailand," the official has told the Ottawa Citizen.
Canada's Public Safety Minister Vic Toews has said that the organizers of the voyage of the MV Sun Sea charged up to $50,000 a passenger for a potential total haul of more than $20 million.
All migrants on the MV Sun Sea have filed refugee claims.
Sri Lankan authorities say the Tamil migrants are economic refugees who are taking advantage of Canada's relaxed immigration laws.
Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper has vowed to bring comprehensive legislation designed to deter immigrants arriving in Canada and to impose stiff penalties for the smugglers.
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