An Interview on the Case of the 155 Tamil Refugees

• Published in: Refuge: Canada's Journal on Refugees
• Main Authors: Refuge Editor, Sri-Skanda-Rajah, Sri Guggan
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: York University Libraries 1986
• Subjects: Tamil Refugees; Refugee Policy; Administrative Review; Safety and Security; Violence; West German; Canada; Finch; Newfoundland
• Online Access: https://refuge.journals.yorku.ca/index.php/refuge/article/view/21493; https://doi.org/10.25071/1920-7336.21493

Last August, 155 Tamil refugees were found cramped in two lifeboats off the shores of Newfoundland. They had come from West Germany. However, for four days they claimed that they had sailed from South India, before finally revealing the true origin of their journey. Their arrival stirred a national controversy. Refuge decided to interview Sri Guggan Sri-Skanda-Rajah, a community legal aid worker at the Jane-Finch Community Legal Aid Clinic, to discuss their fate. Mr. Sri-Skanda-Rajah is also Vice-Chair of the Toronto Refugee Affairs Council and Public Relations Co-ordinator, Tamil Eelam Society of Canada.