A vessel carrying more than 200 suspected Tamil asylum seekers believed to be on course for British Columbia has not yet entered Canada's territorial waters, the federal public safety minister said on Thursday.
"My understanding is that they are not in Canadian waters at this time," Minister Vic Toews said in Vancouver.
"All I can say at this time is that our security officials are very aware of that particular situation and have taken whatever action they possibly can," he said at an announcement of funding to protect communities victimized by hate crime.
The U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area division confirmed last week sighting of the MV Sun Sea on the western coast of the United States and added that the vessel is believed to be heading towards B.C. They did not confirm or deny if the ship has been boarded.
The Ministry of Public Safety oversees the Canadian Border Service Agency which, in collaboration with the RCMP, can board any vessel once in Canadian waters. Beyond the 12-mile territorial waters, no Canadian agency has criminal jurisdiction. Canada's influence, however, can extend up to 200-miles for the purpose of regulating economic activity only.
Several government and non-government sources have confirmed the vessel has not arrived at Vancouver Island, where it is likely to dock.
Ogden Point, where the Ocean Lady carrying 76 Tamil asylum seekers docked in October 2009, has only four berths, most of which are currently occupied by cruise ships.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade remains tight-lipped on the situation. The vessel is reportedly carrying suspected members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
"What that particular issue speaks to is the need for international co-operation in being in these kinds of situations," Mr. Toews said.
He suggested working on a continental security strategy in order to address issues of illegal migration.
"As the nature of the threats to Canada and the U.S. changes, we need to look at other ways of approaching this," he said. "We need to work with partners in various other parts of the world including South East Asia."