The Ramblings of Munro

Immigration Refugee Hearings in Vancouver

Sunday Update:

Friday: the remainder of the hearings were completed by 8 PM pacific time. The main news on Friday was the decision to release one of the detainees that happened earlier in the week but was not communicated.

The hearing took place on Tuesday but the decision was not communicated until Friday. The lawyer representing the claimant had filed notice on Wednesday that he was council for the individual but IRB - ID did not send the decision to the lawyer until Friday. The media attending the hearings (CBC, Globe, CP) were also informed by the IRB media coordinator on Friday of the decision. I spoke with the CBC reporter who said he requested Monday to be notified of any hearings but was not informed of the Tuesday hearing until Friday.

The hearing on Tuesday was conducted by IRB member Otto Nupponen who stated that CBSA had not done enough to establish this indivuals identity and on the secondary challenge that he was a flight risk the member stated the individual obviously had an interest to stay in Canada and was likely to appear. The decision released the individual once conditions were met by the individual. Conditions placed are that the individual appear weekly and whenever called upon, as well as provide ID documents. The ID documents were sent late afternoon on Friday by the lawyer and the lawyer was working with the CBSA over the weekend to have him released to family. I do not have an update yet if he has been released but the 7 day hearing should be scheduled for Tuesday.

There was confusion when the IRB coordinator released the information on Friday as the specifics of the publication ban were not released. There was some information that was released by media that later had to be retracted due to the publication ban.

Other updates:
- I am told that all detainees now have legal council
- Ministers council confirmed that all 76 have claimed refugee status
- All are now in possession of their CIC packages to be completed within 28 days.
- confirmation that families are now receiving calls and pre arrangeed visits by CIC to collect identification documents, photographs and testimonials
- the Can Tamil Congress has provided phone cards to all so they can contact family members as well as additional phone numbers have been provided where they can call for assistance. Now that they are lawyered up, calls are mostly requesting coordination of identification from family mostly in Canada, but also some in Europe and Sri Lanka.
- most recent report is that about half of the claimants do not have family in Canada but there are close to 30 families in Vancouver that have offered to take individuals in.
- CIC was working through the weekend to finish preliminary interrogations.
- legal council were not notified of interrogations so were unable to be witnesses.
- community members have circulated a document in Tamil to all detainees advising them of their rights.
- There are concerns on their mental health. One individual specifically is reportedly quite depressed.
- There are now photographs circulating in foreign media of the indivudual who was identified as being on wanted by interpol

posted by Munro @ 11:11 AM