Asoka Weerasinghe Kings Grove Crescent . Gloucester . Ontario . K1J 6G1 Canada

October 8, 2010

The Editor
EMBASSY

Sir:

In ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Treating Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s root problems, not symptomsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, Anca Gurzu asked, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Yet largely unreported was why Tamils were fleeing Sri Lanka and spending months crossing the Pacific to Canada when peace had ostensibly been reached last year following decades of civil war.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  For a person who has been following this amazing Tamil refugee story since August 1983, the answer is a no brainer.

When these Tamils have found that Canadians are nice people, although somewhat naƒÆ’†’ƒ”š‚¯ve and have opened the flood gates for them to enter Canada with Canada immigration policies suiting them well, like once they land their toes on Canadian soil and say, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-I am a refugee and running away from persecution in Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, that they have entered their ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Dream-CanadaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ for a long haul. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ They have also found out that they have a very good chance to be accepted as refugees and even if their claims are rejected that they can still live in Canada for years while appealing the rejection.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  And even if there is a court order to be deported, ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ that they still can live in Canada for years while the appeal process winds its way through our court system and that the Government of Canada will find them Immigration lawyers and pay their fees to defend their reason why they should be taken into Canada as refugees. That is the ground reality, and these non-professional Tamils are no fools.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  As you may have noticed, Tamil doctors, lawyers, engineers donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t get on rust-crusting ships to take that two month voyage to CanadaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s west coast.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It is a no brainer to figure out why they want to come to Canada and not go to a country like Britain.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The Tamils know that their acceptance rate in Canada is much higher than in Britain, and they are aware of the numbers.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ In 2009 Britain received 1,099 Tamil refugee applications almost an identical number in Canada which was 1,082, and then while Canada accepted 90.7% of these applications Britain rejected 86.4%. of theirs. This is the reason why the Tamils float into Canada in ships from Thailand which is a safe country, having gone there from Sri Lanka with legal documents which they manage to lose while on their way to Canada.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  With that backgrounder,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ every Tamil seeking greener pasturesƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ would want to come to Canada even though the process seems sordid.

The Tamils are not that stupid not to notice that Canada indeed is the goose that keeps laying golden eggs for them.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ They know that the welfare payments from the Government of Canada starts at $585 a month when converted to Sri Lankan rupees is 58,500 rupees which is a fortune in Sri Lankan terms which they may not be able to earn in Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  They can ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ even thumb their noses at Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Foreign Affairs diplomats as they earn almost 10,000 rupees less a month while stationed in Colombo.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  And couples with children under 6 years of age know that they could also apply for the Universal Child Care benefit of $100 each month for each child.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  These Tamils are smart and have found out that they are also eligible for a federal Child Tax Benefit and the National Child Benefit Supplement, which they could not get in Sri Lanka and that they could also get welfare housing and free medical care.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  So why shouldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t they float into our Pacific coast in falling-apart ships?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

These Tamils can count and know their simple arithmetic.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  They know that a couple with one child can get $327.66 per month as child care benefits on top of $1,058 under the Ontario welfare system and that Scarborough and Markham where they eventually will end up are cities in the Province of Ontario.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  So why shouldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t these Tamils take the nice Canadians for a ride!ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  And the 492 Tamil illegal migrants who arrived in MV Sun Sea know that Canada is a rich country and could afford to fork out $300,000 a month in welfare payments collected from tax payersƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  if all of them finally hang their sarongs and saris somewhere in the Greater Toronto Area.

Having enjoyed the Canadian welfare system they also know that they can enjoy an added bonus. These Tamils are smart and they know that once they get their Canadian passport they can get on the first flight to Sri Lanka for a holiday and visit family, the country that they ran away from saying that they were persecuted, and that no Canadian government official is going to stop and question themƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ before they get on that planeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ charging themƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ as a bunch of frauds having cheated their way into Canada as convention refugees.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

That is what it is Anca Gurzu.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The answer to your question is a no brainer.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  These Tamils are smart and they know that the nice Canadians are naƒÆ’†’ƒ”š‚¯ve and could be taken for a ride even before they could blink their eye-lids.

Asoka Weerasinghe