Posted by admin on Sep 21st, 2010
Saturday Sept 25 at 1:30 pm, Sunday Oct 3 at 1:30 pm, Saturday Oct 9 at 1:30 pm. Shuttles Leaving Edmonds station starting at 12:45 until 1:15
For the past 2 weeks we have gathered in front of the Burnaby Youth Custody prison where approximately 90 Tamil refugee mothers and children are being incarcerated. Supporters banged on pots and pans and blew whistles and horns to the beats of Tamil music. A large Tamil banner reading “We welcome you, we support you” was held towards the two detention units where children could be seen waving and smiling, peering through prison bars. Join No One is Illegal-Vancouver over the next 3 weeks at the Burnaby detention facility to continue to express our love, support, and solidarity with those still being held inside and to call for the immediate release of detained Tamil asylum seekers.
» click here to continue reading
Posted by admin on Sep 18th, 2010
Written by Devon Ridge, MayDay Magazine
This May, The MV Sun Sea departed from Sri Lanka carrying 492 men, women, and children, giving up their sovereign identities for a dangerous and uncertain journey. After being denied permission to dock in Thailand and Australia, the Tamil refugees approached British Columbia, hoping to find asylum. Instead of being welcomed, the boat was met by the force of armed RCMP and naval officers and unfounded accusations of terrorism. Instead of finding refuge after a three month long journey risking death, the refugees are currently experiencing the dehumanizing treatment of incarceration. Mainstream media and government officials have taken up what seems like a moral debate about what to do with the boatload of refugees. This discussion fuels fear and confusion, distracting people from asking the most important questions. Questions like, is there really any justification for prison as a humane response to encountering people fleeing for their lives?
» click here to continue reading
Posted by admin on Sep 15th, 2010
Last week over 100 people gathered in front of the Burnaby Youth Custody prison where approximately 90 Tamil refugee mothers and children are being incarcerated. Locked out of the facility, for over two hours supporters banged on pots and pans to the beats of Tamil music. A large Tamil banner reading “We welcome you, we support you” was held towards the two detention units where children could be seen waving and smiling, peering through prison bars. Join No One is Illegal-Vancouver again this week at the Burnaby detention facility to continue to express our love, support, and solidarity with those still being held inside and to call for the immediate release of detained Tamil asylum seekers.
Sunday Sept 19 at 1:30 pm at the Burnaby Youth Custody Services Centre where mothers and children who arrived aboard MV Sun Sea are being detained. 7900 Fraser Park Dr, Burnaby. Shuttles Leaving Edmonds station starting at 12:45 until 1:15
» click here to continue reading
Posted by admin on Sep 15th, 2010
By Jennifer Moreau, Burnaby Now September 15, 2010
A pregnant woman from the boat of Tamil migrants was released from Burnaby’s youth prison Monday, following a detention hearing. She is the first adult to be released from the group of nearly 500 migrants who arrived in Esquimalt Aug. 13, after months at sea. Her name cannot be released because of a publication ban, but she is pregnant and has three children. Meanwhile, about 70 demonstrators gathered outside the Burnaby youth prison on Saturday, banging pot and pans in hopes a group of Tamil women and children would hear them from inside the prison walls. “We’re holding a noise demonstration to let the … Tamil women and children know we’re here to support them,” said Nassim Elbardouh, from No One Is Illegal, a refugee and immigrant rights group.
» click here to continue reading
Posted by admin on Sep 14th, 2010
Roger Annis, Socialist Project
Seventy-five people staged a noisy rally in Vancouver on September 11 in support of 492 Tamil asylum seekers who landed on Canada’s west coast on August 13. The rally was organized by the Vancouver chapter of No One Is Illegal. The rally was held outside the Burnaby Youth Detention Center where many of the 63 women and 49 children who were on board the MV Sun Sea were held. (Burnaby is a suburb of Vancouver). Noisemakers and loud music were deployed to send a message to the asylum seekers that they have strong support in Canada for their claim for refugee status. Another rally at the same location by the same organizers will take place on September 19.
» click here to continue reading
