RCMP works with Sri Lanka to ID Tamil migrants

Canadian investigators have confirmed they are working with the government of Sri Lanka to determine the identities of 76 men taken into custody on a boat off Vancouver Island over the weekend.

Most of the men are believed to be Tamils from Sri Lanka, fleeing the aftermath of the country's violent civil war.

That makes the men's nationality and whether they might have links to the Tamil Tigers, a group listed as a banned terrorist organization, a sensitive issue for the Canadian government.

Sri Lanka has been battered by decades of civil war with ongoing allegations of serious human rights abuses on both sides of the conflict the Tamil Tigers and the government.

'We're aware of the political climate in Sri Lanka.' RCMP Sgt. Duncan Pound

Sgt. Duncan Pound of the RCMP's Border Integrity program said investigators are taking that into consideration as they work with Sri Lankan officials, but it's important to find out if any of the men have criminal backgrounds.

"We're aware of the political climate in Sri Lanka, but right now our responsibility is to have a thorough investigation here in Canada that follows the evidence that we're satisfied is solid," said Pound.

Pound said they've been receiving good co-operation from Sri Lankan officials, but wouldn't say exactly what type of information is being exchanged.

"We have had contact with other international partners, and that's all part of our investigative process, in order to further confirm and drill down on the details of the individuals that were on the vessel, and then any questions we have on the vessel itself and the cargo," said Pound.

Shared intelligence leads to ship

Meanwhile, Canada's public safety minister says it was international intelligence sharing that help Canadian officials intercept the migrant ship the Ocean Lady as it arrived off the B.C. coast on the weekend.

The seizure followed the interception of another ship en route from Sri Lanka to Australia a week earlier. According to news reports, passengers aboard that ship identified the Ocean Lady as a smuggling vessel carrying would-be migrants toward Canada.

Public Safey Minister Peter Van Loan would not confirm it was Australian officials who tipped off their Canadian counterparts, but he did drop some strong hints on CBC Radio on Tuesday morning.

"We always work very closely with our partners, and Australia is a very important partner with us on intelligence matters. On this case, we did have assistance from partners that helped us to identify this boat arriving on our shores," said Van Loan.

As for the future of the 76 men aboard, Van Loan said anyone at real risk of persecution will be given refugee status, and those who are not will be sent home.

Meanwhile, the men remain in custody in Vancouver, where most are believed to be preparing refugee claims.

They will likely face a series of hearings over the next few days, where authorities will determine if the men should be held in custody, or released until their cases are decided.