Mounties have launched an international manhunt for the first person charged in connection with a ship that brought hundreds of Tamil migrants to Canada’s West Coast a year and a half ago.
Thayakaran Markandu has been charged with organizing illegal entry into Canada, the RCMP announced Wednesday. The charge relates to the MV Sun Sea, which arrived in August 2010 carrying 492 Tamil migrants.
Markandu, who was born in 1972 according to court records, is currently believed to be living abroad, though Mounties haven’t confirmed where, said Sgt. Duncan Pound.
“We believe he’s not inside Canada, so we’re working with our international partners to have the warrant executed in an effort to bring him to justice,” Pound said in an interview.
“It’s our expectation that once he has been located, we would then initiate an extradition process and pursue that, if possible.”
The Sun Sea arrived with 492 Tamils on board, including men, women and children. All made refugee claims, pointing to decades of violence wrought by a 26-year civil war in their home country of Sri Lanka.
As of January, three of the passengers had their refugee claims approved, according to the latest figures available from the Immigration and Refugee Board.
Another 13 migrants had their claims withdrawn, either because of deportation orders or because the claimants withdrew their applications themselves, and five claims were abandoned.
The refugee board figures indicate 14 Sun Sea passengers had been ordered deported as of Jan. 20.
Local news from metronews.ca/vancouver
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