VZCZCXRO6550
PP RUEHGA RUEHHA RUEHMT RUEHQU
DE RUEHVC #0244/01 2950322
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 220322Z OCT 09
FM AMCONSUL VANCOUVER
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5331
INFO RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEFHLC/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO PRIORITY 0002
RUEHVC/AMCONSUL VANCOUVER 7916

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 VANCOUVER 000244 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/CAN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  10/21/2019 
TAGS: CA PGOV PHUM PREF CE PTER
SUBJECT: CANADIANS DETAIN SHIPLOAD OF TAMILS 
 
VANCOUVER 00000244  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: G. Kathleen Hill, Political/Economic Chief, US 
Consulate Vancouver, State. 
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) 
¶1. (C) Summary: The Canadian Navy and Customs and Border Service 
Agency (CBSA) officials stopped and detained an aging freighter 
attempting to transport 76 men, mostly Tamils, into Canada.  The 
action took place on October 17, although the vessel had been 
tracked from earlier in the week thanks to some foreign 
intelligence reporting.  Indications are most of the migrants 
are ethnic Tamils, although there may be other ethnic groups 
represented.  Press reports the passengers paid Cdn $45,000 each 
for the trip from South Asia.  The vessel is thought to be one 
of four managed by known Indonesian human smuggler Abraham 
Lauhenapessy.  RCMP sources have informed us they have reason to 
believe this vessel was funded by the Tamil Tigers and are 
attempting to establish whether any of the men on board have 
ties to that terrorist organization.  At the same time, the 
Canadian Government is publicly trying to maintain a balanced 
approach that emphasizes fair treatment while not appearing too 
lenient toward potential terrorists. End Summary. 
 
¶2. (C) Canadian forces began tracking the vessel "Ocean Lady" on 
October 14 but press reports indicate the Canadians received 
tips about the voyage from foreign intelligence, most likely 
Australian, prior to locating the vessel itself. According to 
Canadian Navy contacts, the frigate HMCS Regina was sent out 
late on the 14th from Victoria to follow the Ocean Lady, but the 
vessel did not enter Canadian waters until October 17, at which 
point CBSA officials boarded the ship.  CBSA officers found no 
documentation on the ship to say who operated the ship and none 
of the passengers claimed to be a member of the crew.  All the 
passengers are male, between the ages of 17 and 45 and only a 
few were carrying identification.  The ship was brought to port 
near Victoria and the 76 men were transported to a detention 
facility in the Vancouver area.  The CBSA and Royal Canadian 
Mounted Police (RCMP) are jointly interviewing the men.  All the 
detainees have been fingerprinted and photographed and an 
initial list of names and birthdates has been passed to U.S. ICE 
officials in Ottawa and Vancouver for assistance in verifying 
identifications. 
 
¶3. (C) Canadian Immigration Minister Kenney voiced concern about 
"unconditionally embracing" the detainees as refugees and 
creating a "perverse incentive" for further dangerous attempts 
to enter Canada illegally.  The Canadian Tamil Congress and 
other groups, such as No One Is Illegal, are strongly advocating 
refugee status for all of the detainees, stating all Tamils are 
subject to persecution in Sri Lanka.  Per the Canadian 
Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, an individual must first 
formally file a refugee claim before being considered for status 
in Canada.  Two detainees have already claimed refugee status 
and had initial hearings.  These first claims are being reviewed 
but the Immigration Board denied them release because of fears 
they would disappear. CBSA expects further claims to be filed 
and all detainees have had access to legal counsel.  Minister 
Kenney has stated that all claims will be given a fair screening 
for admissibility, whether or not Tamil Tiger ties are 
suspected, but that a key factor is whether the claimants 
present a security risk to Canada and Canadian citizens. 
Sources told us that other Canadian security agencies interested 
in the detainees had been barred from fully participating in the 
early screening process while CBSA conducted the initial 
interviews. The effort of processing so many undocumented 
migrants has strained resources.  Several units from RCMP and 
CBSA have been pulled out of scheduled Olympics-related security 
exercises to deal with the detainees. 
 
¶4. (C) A source in the RCMP, who is himself ethnic Tamil and was 
called in to help with the interviews, told us that some of the 
men were claiming to be Tamil, while some were claiming to be 
Singalese.  He believed that most are in fact Tamil but a few 
may not be from Sri Lanka at all.  Canadian security authorities 
are highly suspicious of the group.  According to sources, the 
ship, although it looked like a derelict form the outside, was 
well-appointed on the inside, complete with a fully-equipped gym 
and kitchen.  The men's excellent physical condition and the 
fact they are all of military age increases the suspicion of 
Tamil Tiger ties. Press reports state the men paid Cdn $45,000 
each for the voyage to Canada.  According to a Tamil Congress 
spokesman, the average salary in Sri Lanka is Cdn $1,200 a year. 
 RCMP and CBSA are attempting to discover how these men raised 
such funding and whether they had help from the Tigers. 
 
¶5. (C) Comment:  The Canadian government is proceeding with 
extreme caution in processing these detainees.  In 1999, three 
ships loaded with Chinese migrants made their way to Canadian 
shores.  Many of the detainees spent years in detention as their 
cases were processed.  Several hundred were released and 
disappeared, presumably into the U.S. as illegal immigrants.  In 
the end most of the remainder were sent back and only a handful 
were granted refugee status. In the end the GOC was highly 
criticized from all sides for poor handling of the Chinese 
 
VANCOUVER 00000244  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
migrants.  The GOC is determined this time to demonstrate 
transparent, fair and efficient processing.  The balanced 
approach is strained, however, by the conflict between the 
suspected role of the Tamil Tigers, a group classified as a 
terrorist organization by the GOC, and the loud voice of the 
250,000-strong Tamil community in Canada. End Comment. 
CHICOLA