OTTAWA: The World Sikh Organization is establishing contact with the Canadian Council of Refugees and has offered’ to assist the Council in monitoring the whereabouts of any refugees who are deported back to India.
The council will monitor the return of refugees in various countries as it believes that errors are being made by Canadian educators and some of those expelled are in grave danger, according to David Matas a spokesman for the council.
A Sikh refugee Chindes Bhatti ‘was recently deported from Canada and Indian authorities effectively blocked the access of Amnesty International which was seeking to monitor his return to India.
The council is now preparing kits for refugee workers and immigration lawyers in the hope of establishing contact with refugee claimants before they are deported.
The World Sikh Organization also has these kits and anyone who needs them can contact WSO for them.
Telephone hotlines have been set up in Toronto and Montreal so those ordered out of Canada can get help before they are deported, or provide a contact list so their movements can be traced.
The council will try to keep in touch with family and friends and nongovernment organizations in the person’s homeland to see what happens to him when he is returned.
“It won’t be easy because if they are in danger they’ll either be detained in which case they may be incommunicado or they’ll be avoiding detention and won’t want to do anything to draw attention to themselves,” said Mr. Matas, a Winnipeg lawyer, “As far as we’re concerned if we don’t get any information, that’s going to be “cause for concern in itself.”
The council intendes to make a to the government after several months of monitoring Mr. Matas said.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 17, 1989
