Human smuggling or Tamil Tigers - A Story from the 'Ocean Lady'
By Amarnath Amarasingam
After the MV Sun Sea was boarded and escorted into Canadian waters two days ago, speculation has been rampant about whether there are members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE, or Tamil Tigers) on board, and whether this is an instance of human smuggling.
RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency officers take the day to investigate and search the freighter Ocean Lady, still at dock at Ogden Point in Victoria, B.C. October 18, 2009. The Ocean Lady, also known as the Princess Easwary, is a rebel freighter belonging to the outlawed Tamil Tiger guerrilla group, a security expert believes.
Photograph by: Adrian Lam, Victoria Times Colonist
Columnists and news anchors have been wondering how these refugees who were ‘languishing in camps’ managed to escape and find a boat to take them across the Pacific. This is the wrong question. The refugees who arrived on the MV Sun Sea and the Ocean Lady, which landed in Canada last October, probably escaped the Sri Lankan Civil War months beforehand.
One migrant from the Ocean Lady, who I will call Suresh, told me that he was in Thailand in June 2009. “An agent took me from Colombo to Thailand, where we waited a month. He gave us shelter and food. He then boarded us on a bus. About two weeks later, we boarded a small boat and then onto a bigger boat.” He says that traveling so far on a boat was a new experience for him, and he spent the first few weeks vomiting.
The vomiting, and the dehydration, made him so weak that he slept on and off for about five days. It was only after a week had passed that he mustered up enough strength to wash his face and find something to eat. Preparing food was increasingly difficult as the boat made it further and further into open water. “The waves were very harsh,” he says, “if some food was being prepared for us, the waves would knock all the pots and pans to the floor, and they would have to start over.”
Suresh is very nervous during our interview, convinced that I was going to write something that would jeopardize his refugee application. When asked about the agent he paid to transport him to Canada, he begins with why he needed an agent in the first place. In 2000, his father was kidnapped from his home in Vavuniya by a white van, and to this day, he does not know his whereabouts. A few years later, he himself was taken and kept for three days. It was after this that his mother made it clear to him that he would have to leave for another country. She sold their land, and is now renting a home in Vavuniya. “She’s still there,” says Suresh.
Suresh used this money to pay an agent in Sri Lanka ten thousand dollars to get him to Thailand. Once in Thailand, he paid the agent another thirty thousand dollars. After the agent boarded them on the bus in Thailand, the migrants never saw him again. At this time, the bus contained around fifty people. My repeated questions about who the agent was were met only with shy smiles. Many refugees, even though they are paying large sums of money to these smugglers, feel indebted to them and will rarely reveal their true identities. As one refugee lawyer based in Toronto noted, “it is very rare for them to turn against the smugglers. For refugees, they are gods. They gave them a life in a new world.”
These smugglers maintain several safe houses in countries like Thailand where refugees are held. There, they sit and wait until an opportunity arises. This opportunity came after the end of the war in Sri Lanka. Ships like the MV Sun Sea can be purchased in places like Thailand or Singapore for a minimal price. Once obtained, the ship often goes through a process of modification. The interior of the ship, which may contain much that is not needed for human smuggling, is renovated. It is then equipped with partitions, sleeping quarters, and the like, before smugglers start shopping for passengers.
In the case of the MV Sun Sea, sources say that initially the smugglers were able to collect about 225 people, charging them anywhere between $22,000 and $45,000 (CDN). Later, this number ballooned to 490, with the remaining refugees probably paying much less.
There has also been speculation about whether the smugglers are Tamil Tigers or members of the Sri Lankan army. The true story is probably less elegant. The smugglers are more likely petty criminals. As one Tamil community organizer told me, “They are not Tigers. These guys just hang around Thailand and other countries waiting for an opportunity like this.”
Once Tamils in Sri Lanka feel that their lives can return to normal, the smugglers will have to wait that much longer for their next pay day.
Amarnath Amarasingam is a doctoral candidate at Wilfrid Laurier University, and is currently writing his dissertation entitled: Pain, Pride, and Politics: Tamil Nationalism in Canada.
24 Comments
$45,000.00 that one had to pay to get on the ship is an astronomical sum for someone in Sri Lanka. When you consider the per capita income in SL is around $2000.00 and it is about $40,000.00 in Canada, that is equivalent to a Canadian paying over a million dollars!
Where do these people get this kind of money?
how did these people get hold of 5,000,000 rupees. That seems like an outrageous amount. I can't imagine people buying houses in Vavuniya for 5 million, and at the height of the civil war at that
Amaranath
I like the subject of your dissertation, would you be including members of the Transitional government in your thesis.
*** speculation has been rampant about whether there are members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE, or Tamil Tigers) on board, and whether this is an instance of human smuggling. ***
TERRORISTS or HUMAN SMUGGLERS....what's the difference?
These BOGUS ASYLUM SEEKERS are BOTH UNDESIRABLES in CANADA, and they are OBVIOUSLY NOT FLEEING FOR THEIR LIVES as they all claim. The War in Sri Lanka ended almost a Year and a Half ago and most former LTTE CADRES have been PARDONED and REHABILITATED and provided FREE HOUSING at the Sri Lankan Tax Payers expense! Also, the VAST MAJORITY of the IDP civilians have been resettled so what exactly can these Boat Donkeys legitimately claim to the Canadian Government? GENOCIDE?
(Moo, Baaa, Hee-haw, Hee-Haw, Hee-Haw)
LETS LOOK AT THE FACTS (shall we?):
1). These people waited 14 Months to ESCAPE....? Why? If they are running for their lives they would have done this over a Year ago!
2). And they did not Flee to the Nearest country, they traveled half way across the world to Canada! If their lives were truly in Danger they would have escaped tot he Nearest country like INDIA, INDONESIA, MALAYSIA or SINGAPORE.... Instead they are trying to get into White Countries only!
3). The Sri Lankan government is NOT after them. There are Plane Loads of TAMILS coming into Colombo Airport as we speak,...TAMILS from Jaffna, and the East are Traveling FREELY all over Sri Lanka... so what exactly are they claiming will happen to them if they are returned to Sri Lanka?
4). If these people are supposedly FLEEING for their lives, where on earth did they all get $45,000 each from? Most people in Sri Lanka would not even earn half that amount in their ENTIRE LIFETIME. Obviously these people are just paying to Jump the Queue and Bypass the Legitimate IMMIGRATION LAWS in Canada by Exploiting the FOG of LIES that the Canadian People have been force Fed by the TAMIL TERRORIST DIASPORA there.
Happened during Tamils fleeing from the East coast to Australia too.
Many sold land and properties.
The govt. Pillaiyan and Police all took money from people plus Austrlia.
How still Rajapaksas survive white van money and ransom, from all tamil buisness people kidnapped in Colombo.
Time will come like Fonsekas
Amarnath - thank you for writing about the gruesome experiences in the journey.
Every escapee will have a different story to tell - sad, poignant and thought-provoking. We are all victims of our times and have little choice but to learn to make disaster the platform of more sublime achievements. The subject of the writer's dissertation will be useful to our long search. We hope we will get an opportunity to access this, perhaps, through these useful columns.
ISS
Most Tamils have lot of land and houses. When the SL military occupied our land and house for High security zone in 1994, it was valued over 64,000,000 rupees that time (around 64,000) Canadian dollars. Our hose income may be lower compare to average Canadian income, but the properties we own do have considerable value. These people are selling their inheritance land that they own for centuries to leave the county. Most Tamils are lived wealthy before war, displacement and force full land grasp made them poor and forcing them to live as internal refugees within Srilanka.
Well a lot of family and relatives rather see their kin alive than suffer with livelihoods destroyed and deprived as documented by International Crisis Group.
Sri Lanka wants to see as many Tamils leave, uprooted dead or alive. Thats the official policy.
Some take the journey in debt and a promise to pay.
Migrants from other countries have done this too. Thats why human trafficing is bad, and refugees should be assisted and screened in other places and prevent this.
Sri Lanka encourages village women to go work washing linens for the wealthy in the middle least and Far East – but others seek to jump to conclusion as to what awaits the refugee claimants and diasporas.
Keith Olbermann Special Comment: There Is No 'Ground Zero Mosque' - 08/16/10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZpT2Muxoo0
This is very good insight to the Tamil civilians in Srilanka. It also raises the question of who gains by these refugees. The facts are Tamil civilians are selling their property in the traditional homeland and moving out. There is always someone in their family living in Srilanka. I strongly believe that the refugees do not reveal the identity of the agents due to threats to their family members. If that is the case, the SLA personal or someone connected to the GOSL must be involved in the human smuggling ring. If the GOSL is turning a blind eye to this then it must be beneficial to them in some way.
Even if the smugglers are former LTTE overseas members, it is in the best interest of GOSL for the refugees to continue to leave Srilanka.
One, they can continue the systematic settlement of the Sinhalese in the North and East "LEGALLY". This is not a perceived threat. It is real as already officials are contacting abundant house owners overseas and trying to purchase their homes in Jaffna. We already know about the bus loads of people from the south to “recaptured” areas as tourist or may be future prospects for settlement.
Another is as long as GOSL continue the “LTTE is active overseas and will regroup” propaganda; they do not have to find a political solution for the Srilankan Tamils. They can also delay the release of thousands of Tamil prisoners. It is like using the word “holocaust” whenever you are criticized. GOSL will use the word “LTTE”.
Though I agree 100% with refugee’s word regarding the situation in Srilanka, I am afraid that these “boat people” will not find peace and security that they seek. Their families in Srilanka will continue to be threatened and they will also go through hell to blend into the Canadian society. They will be taken advantage of by individuals or groups to advance their agendas here in Canada.
GOSL will drag the political solution for the Tamils as well as the release and resettlement of the Tamils crying “LTTE”.
Just look at Palestine, Israel cries “Hamas” and Hamas will not stop firing “firecrackers” at Israel. Both are happy, Israel does not have to give a political solution;
Hamas has power and control over the cramped refugee camps. Sometimes the situation makes me think if they both are on the same side or opposite side! Same in SL, GOSL and LTTE.
Nathan Mark,Your utter lies good for Canadians and the rest of the western countries. Now even Canadians slowly understand tamil diaspora's lies. The land in North not so expensive even in today ecept in Jaffna peninsiula.In Jaffna the lands cannot sell in the open market because of Thesawalame.So there is no competition. The most homes in North are damage due to war. So to sell a land for more than 25,000 US dollas, no way Nathan.
And you said before war most tamils are rich. So the war made tamils poor. Then LTTE and the tamil diaspora who funded LTTE are responsible for it.
To Jaya Bala, Most of SRILANKANS wether they are in Middle East or Canada or any other western country doing the same thing. Washing linens or cleaning toilets[janitorial]. The only thing different from Middle East and West,in a western country a person can have the education while they washing linen or cleaning toilets and then do a better job.
Money is not a problem to many folks who invested in the right properties. I recall in the fifties and sixties government works depts were awash with money with government money from roads contracts, irrigation contracts manageg by Jaffna folks. Top officials used to come on inspection tours with a brief case to collect their share in 100 rupee notes and that in turn was invested in choice Colombo proprties and land. Today that maybe exchanged for a place in the vessel of a Canada bound by the lesser endowed offspringofthose clans. Gamblers luck if Canada turns out to be rosy place where they make their billions and they will be happy if Colombo remains a proscribed capital dominated by so caled 'Rajapaksa brothers'.
One can relate the same story to many countries from Shanghai South Vietnam, Indonesia, Iran or Honduras or Chile.
Money is not a problem to many folks who invested in the right properties. I recall in the fifties and sixties government works depts were awash with money with government money from roads contracts, irrigation contracts manageg by Jaffna folks. Top officials used to come on inspection tours with a brief case to collect their share in 100 rupee notes and that in turn was invested in choice Colombo proprties and land. Today that maybe exchanged for a place in the vessel of a Canada bound by the lesser endowed offspringofthose clans. Gamblers luck if Canada turns out to be rosy place where they make their billions and they will be happy if Colombo remains a proscribed capital dominated by so caled 'Rajapaksa brothers'.
One can relate the same story to many countries from Shanghai South Vietnam, Indonesia, Iran or Honduras or Chile.
"Anonymous | August 17, 2010 10:02 PM"
"Where do these people get this kind of money?"
Do you know the price of an apartment in Colombo? Same as the figure you were wondering! How can those in Colombo afford those?
Nathan Mark:
You had a property worth of 64 million in 1994?
Where is that?
Dont try to fool the readers from the same areas!
sounds like the most realistic depiction of what happened. Too much speculation by the Canadian government
These people are simply taking a very momentous decision to renounce their Sri Lankan citizenship and hope for the best elsewhere on this God given planet. If everything is hunky dory in Sri Lanka, why is it that only Tamils are braving the high seas? The answer should prove to the world where the truth lies (that Tamils fear persecution by the Sinhalese) exposing the false LTTE/Tigers/terrorist propaganda propagated by the of the Sri Lankan govt through their paid henchmen; some of whom judging by their smutty comments may well have found their way into your column here.
It is nothing new that Sinhalese are trying to create an image that Tamils leave the country for economic reasons or to get a better passport elsewhere.
It has to be said that Tamils are still oppressed in Sri Lanka as they were in the last 62 years. They consider the LTTE as a terrorist organisation whereas they have created so the very LTTE with their actions from 1948 onwards.
We should accept the very fact that Tamils are trying to escape from Sinhala state terrorism. Every democratic leader in Canada should understand this motive as to why Tamils have to leave.
There is no future for Tamils in Sri Lanka.
Its nothing new. Tamils will continue to exploit the fake refugee claims and weak Immigration system of Canada. They will never choose the true migrant path because they would not stand a chance. So the best way is to claim refugee status
That is why they choose Canada halfway across the plant., that is whythey choose a rickety boat which cannot be turned away.. that is why these "poor" refugees who paid $50,000 did not use the airplane which they easily could afford because people arriving by air can be turned away and shipped back to the port of origin at the airport
These fake refugees have made fools of Canada
Any one who has not experienced the discrimination faced by Tamils in Sri Lanka after Independence in 1948, OR, who have not studied recent history about that country, can make idle comments on articles in the media.
Of course many commentators are paid agents by the concerned government, who are afraid now of facing investigations for war crimes.
"Tigers" were not there before the 70s, and were formed as a result of oppression by racist goverment policies,after all peaceful protests were drastically drushed. and became a strong force only after 1983 riots when more than 3000 were killed, many of them in horrible conditions.
There was no sympathy from the International Community towards oppressed minority Tamils, instead all powerful (but rougue) countries helped the government to destroy the Tigers, irrespective of innocent civilian deaths.
Even now the government has not rehabilatated thousands of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), and is hell bent in aquiring their lands to build Army camps & settle the majority community, thinking that they can solve the ethnic problem.
Regular Searches of Tamil residences, Abductions, Disappearence & Killings are still going on, which are rarely reported in the media.
No wonder that many flee that country, risking their lives.
So, please make sensible comments, after studying the case.
Justice.
It Is rumered that it was the sri lankan goverment agents/interligence appratus which is involved in this oppration
shasha
"There has also been speculation about whether the smugglers are Tamil Tigers or members of the Sri Lankan army. The true story is probably less elegant. The smugglers are more likely petty criminals. As one Tamil community organizer told me, “They are not Tigers. These guys just hang around Thailand and other countries waiting for an opportunity like this.”
What explanation/account sinhalees patriots found for the amount of foreign money recovered from General Fonsega's son in law and or mother in law's bank lockers?
Why can't you investigate and find the real origin of this money? then you will stop barking at Tamils and tigers.
It is a good idea some one of the patriots of Sl gov do an Un biased ( if they are capable of) in depth investigation in this origin of moner in lockers and report.
JRJ was the chief recruiter for LTTE with 83 riots which he encouraged and thats was in the 1980's
In 2010's Devida Fernando is the chief recruiter for those who hate Sinhalese by his studid and idiotic writing spewing a lot of racism