Cargo Ship MV Sun Sea carrying 500 Tamil migrants arrives at Vancouver Island - Canada

Boat with 490 Tamil refugees docks in British Columbia

After spending nearly three months in sea, MV Sun Sea, a 59-metre Thai cargo ship, docked near Victoria, Canada Friday with nearly 490 Tamil refugees who fled Sri Lanka seeking safety and security in a foreign land thousands of miles away from northern Sri Lanka, their place of birth. The Canadian authorities boarded the ship the night before to bring the ship to the shore. 90 women and 45 children are estimated to be part of the migrant group, according to reports from Canada. The political climate will engulf migrants in immigration legal battles especially after the controversy surrounding the detention and later release of 76 Tamil migrants from the ship Ocean Lady last October, relatives of the migrants speculated.

The RCMP boarded the vessel around 7 p.m. Thursday night and travelled with it from Port Alberni down the coast of Vancouver Island to the naval base just west of Victoria. It was towed by two Canadian navy ships and followed by at least half a dozen other vessels while a military helicopter hovered overhead, Toronto Star said of the final hours of the ships journey.

Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said Friday he considers the MV Sun Sea a "test boat" to probe Canada's receptiveness to ship-borne refugee claims -- part of a wider human smuggling operation with designs on sending more illegals here, the Globe and Mail said.

"This particular situation is being observed by others who may have similar intentions and I think it's very important that Canada deals with the situation in a clear and decisive way," Mr. Toews told reporters in Victoria, where the migrant ship is docked, the paper added.

The Canadian Tamil Congress, a community organization, said in a statement on Friday that MV Sun Sea migrants will receive a Tamil-language notification detailing legal and medical information. The statement — which said "the men, women and children on board have taken enormous risks" to "flee persecution in Sri Lanka" — also said the congress will connect unaccompanied youth with host families from the community, the National Post reported.

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[Iamorton]

no more immigration....My dad works his ass off to earn his living here in Canada while this bitches sit on their ass and claim benefits and chill on OUR taxpayer's money

[ITHEREONETHATHASNT]

Canada now has real unemployment of forty percent moron! These people DONT work and in canada they receive 2300 dollars a month for sitting on their asses. Our government gives normal citizens on welfare 630 dollars and retirees get jack shit for pensions. Free medical, free school, free EVERYTHING! What do we the taxpayers get....FUCKING NOTHING! Except being called racist when we disagree with immigration, its a government way of curbing dissent and you may friend took it hook line and sinker!

[chipi88pe]

@ITHEREONETHATHASNT  stupid fucking racist going to AUstralia WHY?? because it's better running away ,so you got the difference why those people risk their life now, bastard

[wrldominashan]

Multiculturalism... I never voted for such dangerous idea

[DrKirstie]

i just fucking hate these people whatever i dont give a shit anymore. i wouldn't mind if it was sensible but this was just stupid and always will be, taking all our money and hard work

[ITHEREONETHATHASNT]

@Notebookery Nope the government wants to give it too these people. We have unemployment of 20 percent for individuals between 24 - 32 and we allow more then 200,000 people in every year to compete for jobs. FUCK OUR GOVERNMENT AND FUCK CANADA IT IS A RAPE VICTIM LEFT TO BLEED TO DEATH

[ITHEREONETHATHASNT]

@giantrobot0987 They will ALL stay here. They will pay ZERO taxes their entire lifetime and they will suck our health care dry. Its what they fucking do. Its why they came. Because were fucking pussies who put up with it. Canada is the like the biggest bitch at a party that lets drunk people use her car, piss on her floor and then still smiles and acts like everything fine and she enjoys it, im the fuck out of here.

[ITHEREONETHATHASNT]

@Rathian1592 We are not nice were pussies. We have unemployment around 20 percent but will bend over backwards to help foreigners. Our country is fucked up and I am moving to australia to escape it.

[Rathian1592]

compared to over here in america you canadiens are nice ^.^

[fartinthewind13]

execute all these terrorists!!!