Tamils in Bangkok waiting for next boat to Canada

People claiming to be tourists are really part of a human-smuggling operation, says the Globe and Mail.

A reporter from the Globe and Mail has contacted people who may be part of the next wave of Tamil immigration to Canada. The families and individuals claim to be tourists but rarely leave their apartments in Bangkok, and anonymous sources say they are part of the same human-smuggling operation that arranged the passage of 492 Tamils to Canada aboard the MV Sun Sea this summer. The Tamils are in Thailand on two-week tourist visas, but records show they’ve signed nine-month leases on their apartments. Those aboard the Sun Sea are now claiming refugee status, but the Tamils in Bangkok don’t appear in imminent danger and are believed to have paid thousands of dollars for the chance to travel to Canada.