With peace returning to Sri Lanka, stats suggest Canada accepting fewer Tamil refugee claims

The arrival of two ships filled with hundreds of would-be Tamil refugees off the coast of Canada made international headlines two years ago, but changing circumstances appear to be cutting their odds of staying here.

Some two years after almost 600 Tamils paid smugglers to help them leave war-ravaged Sri Lanka, the National Post reports only four have been granted refugee status.

One applicant has been ordered deported and the remaining claims are still pending, the Post said, citing newly released statistics from the Immigration and Refugee Board.

Some 76 Tamils arrived off Vancouver Island aboard the Ocean Lady in October 2009, followed soon after by 492 on the Sun Sea in 2010.

The Post said there's been one successful claim so far among Ocean Lady passengers, while another has been ordered deported. Of the Sun Sea group, three have won refugee status, 13 claims were withdrawn and five abandoned.

The acceptance rate for claimants from Sri Lanka dropped to 57 per cent last year from 76 per cent in 2010 and 91 per cent in 2009. The decline coincides with the bloody end to the civil war between the Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tiger rebels fighting for an independent state.

The defeat of the Tigers prompted an exodus by Tamils fearing persecution by a vengeful government. Canada is home to thousands of Tamils who left during the quarter century of war, so this country was a natural choice for would-be refugees, many of whom have family here.

The Post said the latest refugee board stats suggest the remaining claimants from the two ships will have a harder time winning refuge in Canada.

A board spokeswoman cautioned against generalizing conclusions from the numbers.

"All refugee protection claims referred to the IRB are reviewed on the evidence presented in that individual case and decided on its merits," Anna Pape told the Post. "Each case is unique,"The statistics do not reflect the many factors — besides the alleged country of persecution — that members must consider before making a determination."

A decision last November rejected the claim of a 25-year-old man who said he resisted pressure to support the Tigers, claimed he was persecuted by the Sri Lankan army and others, and would face renewed persecution if forced to return.

"Sri Lanka's political landscape has radically changed over the last 18 months," the board adjudicator noted.

While the government is still arresting suspected Tigers and their supporters "life for the remaining Tamil population has improved."

Human rights have also improved, the adjudicator said, as the government relaxes its security provisions, though he stopped short of calling Sri Lanka "a flourishing democracy."

The fact the young man was arrested and released several times shows the government did not consider him a member of the Tigers.

"The claimant was a victim of persecution because he was a young Tamil male, but the actions of the government during the civil war do not support a conclusion that the claimant would be perceived today as someone with links to the (Tigers)."