Vancouver jails vigilant as Tamils set to enter British Columbia

VANCOUVER - Two provincial jails located east of Vancouver have been put on high alert in anticipation of the arrival of Tamil migrants in British Columbia this week.

That disclosure from a spokesman for the District of Maple Ridge Tuesday is the clearest indication that the long-awaited arrival of the MV Sun Sea is imminent, three months after its departure from Thailand, The Globe and Mail reports.

“Wardens at the Fraser Regional Corrections Centre and the Alouette Correctional Centre for Women have told district officials that the RCMP and Canadian Border Services would likely be boarding the ship offshore mid-week,” it quoted Maple Ridge spokesperson John Leeburn as saying.

“The vessel would be taken to Victoria as its first port of call. An expected 100 men would then be taken to the Fraser centre, which is the jail for men, while 80 women would be taken to Alouette. It is not clear where any children will be taken,” he added.

Leeburn revealed that the briefing from corrections officials suggests that Tamil migrants will be in the jails for at least two to four months of processing.We’re told this out of a good neighbour policy because the prisons have been here for a while and there’s a good working relationship between us and them,” he added. (ANI)