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B.C. hospital prepares for influx from Sri Lankan ship

13 August 2010 01:36 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. A B.C. hospital has prepared for a possible influx of Tamil migrants who may require medical treatment when they land on Canadian soil, APA reports quoting CTV News.
Hundreds of Tamil migrants are believed to be aboard the MV Sun Sea, a cargo ship that left Thailand in May and is expected to hit the B.C. shore within hours. It crossed into Canadaâ€™s exclusive economic zone yesterday.
The condition of the people on board the ship is unknown. There are unconfirmed reports that at least one person has died.
CTVâ€™s Janet Dirks reported Thursday morning that authorities in Victoria are expecting that some passengers may need to be looked at after a long voyage at sea.
"The main hospital, Victoria General, has set up at least 75 beds and theyâ€™ve called on extra emergency personnel," Dirks told CTV News Channel.
The Toronto Star reported in its Thursday paper that some of the shipâ€™s passengers have fallen ill with tuberculosis.
Whatever ailments the migrants may have, Dirks said local health authorities "are ready to treat them."
"After they are treated, they will then go to two correction facilities on the Lower Mainland -- thatâ€™s outside of Vancouver, in Maple Ridge," Dirks said.
"They could be there for months. People expect that theyâ€™ll be filling out refugee forms, thatâ€™s the claim they want to make -- to be refugees and to live in Canada."
Some reports and pundits have warned that the MV Sun Sea may be carrying members of the Tamil Tigers -- the banned terrorist organization whose military wing was defeated by the Sri Lankan army last year.
Supporters say the migrants should not be prejudged.
"There has been a lot of innuendo about people being on there that are a threat to Canadian security," Manjula Selvarajah, a spokesperson for the Canadian Tamil Congress, said in an interview with The Canadian Press on Wednesday.
"However, one of the things we have to be careful about is some of the things that weâ€™re hearing comes from sources that are linked to the Sri Lankan government, who have a poor track record when it comes to human rights, accountability, transparency."
The expected arrival of the MV Sun Sea will mark the second time a boat carrying Tamil migrants has landed in B.C.
Last October, the Ocean Lady brought 76 Tamil migrants to Canada from Sri Lanka.
One passenger on the Ocean Lady told The Canadian Press that he took the risk to come to Canada to flee threats against his life after the end of Sri Lankaâ€™s long and bloody civil war. He agreed to pay $45,000 for the chance to leave.
"I was very scared, I felt like I had to hold my life in my own hand," the unidentified passenger told The Canadian Press through a translator.
That ship was supposed to head for Australia, but abruptly changed course and sailed to Canada.
Seeing the news reports of the second ship headed to Canadian soil, the man said he has a sense of what theyâ€™re going through.
"Itâ€™s safe for me to say that I know what theyâ€™re feeling, what theyâ€™re going through, because Iâ€™ve been through it," he said.
"I think they are civilians just like me coming on the boat and looking for a better opportunity."