Allow Sri Lankans to seek the protection of Canada while overseas - B’nai Brith Canada
Measures to address Tamil refugee issues recommended
Toronto – As public debate regarding the plight of the 492 Tamil refugee claimants intensifies, B’nai Brith Canada has warned against allowing racism to creep into public discourse on the issue and recommended three proactive solutions.
Frank Dimant, CEO of B’nai Brith Canada, said, “Let us learn from our past. As discussed in our coming National Holocaust Task Force Student Resource on the history of Canadian immigration policy, there have been tragic incidents in Canada’s not-so-distant history, where boatloads of refugees were turned away from our shores due to attitudes laced with racism.
“We should remember the Komagata Maru and the MS St. Louis. In today’s world, there are certainly legitimate concerns that must be addressed such as security threats and the horrors of human smuggling, but right now the refugee determination system can address questions relating to refugees who have already reached Canada.”
David Matas, senior legal counsel for B’nai Brith Canada, added, “There are several additional measures that Canada should consider immediately to address the underlying issues: adding Sri Lanka to the source country class so that Sri Lankans could seek the protection of Canada while overseas, pressing the government of Sri Lanka to end human rights violations against its minority population and urging the government of Thailand – from where some of the boat people come – to sign and ratify the UN Refugee Convention.”
“Safeguards come not from shutting the door on human suffering, but from addressing the real issues head-on,” concluded Dimant.
courtesy: http://www.jewishtribune.ca
7 Comments
Direction of the thinking is right.
I don't doubt that Canadians will be happy to consider the please of Genuine refugees at all.
Fake ones are a different matter altogether
The Jewish people have experienced displacement, oppression, collective punishment and pain as refugees more than any other. As immigrants they gave of their very best of learning, talents and technical know-how to every society that took them in. They contributed immensely to the good of those countries they settled in and quickly blended in with much acceptance. The very word "diaspora" is almost exclusively Jewish. B'nai Brith speaks from experience "Sri Lankans could seek the protection of Canada" In the context of the recent issue involving Lanks in Vanvouver their strident observation needs to be carefully noted "safe-guards come not from shutting the door on human misery but from addressing issues head-on.."
ISS
Good on you" B'nai Birth Canada".
Well said Mr.Dimant.
"Safeguards come not from shutting the door on human suffering, but from addressing the real issues head-on".
Human and minority violations followed by phony reconciliation schemes and development efforts focused on changing the demography of the Tamil areas in Sri Lanka will only pave the way to more refugees at our door steps and slow genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka.
Lets cure the disease and lets not try to treat the symptoms.
Racism is racism to whomever it happens. A criminal is a criminal amd cannot be trusted.
Canada was a good country, with a very good attitude in addressing the refugee problem of South Africans. It handled the evil of Apartheid in South Africa very well and helped it to come to an end.
Canada then became an example in its counter racist political stand.
In South Africa, there were not many civilian murders and genocide as we see for Tamils in Sri Lanka(SL). Human rights violations were not extreme as in SL.
As criminal states always do, SL and its criminal associate countries are influencing the government of Canada to associate itself more in its evil against Tamils.
Canada must take the right stand and open up its borders for all Tamil refugees fleeing from their country or are unable to return fearing persecution.
Since everyone is in support of B'nai Brith's point of view, send the Tamil Boat back to Thailand and let them apply for refugee status from there