Former Tamil castaways build new lives here

Jill Mahoney
From Tuesday's Globe and Mail Published on Monday, Oct. 19, 2009 10:18PM EDT Last updated on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009 6:40AM EDT
Twenty-three years ago, Anandakumar Sothinathan was floating off the coast of Newfoundland with 154 other Tamil refugees in two overcrowded lifeboats.
Instead of taking them to Canada, a smuggler had abandoned them in international waters with a compass and vague directions for finding freedom.
Over more than two days at sea, the lifeboats, which had just one motor between them, ran out of gas and began to drift. If anyone fell asleep, they risked tumbling into the rough sea. They had no food, and people prayed and cried.
“We all thought we were going to die,” Mr. Sothinathan recalled yesterday.
Finally, Newfoundland fishermen rescued them on Aug. 11, 1986, generating international headlines and sparking a fierce backlash from many Canadians who accused them of making bogus refugee claims. Unlike now, it was rare for migrants to resort to smugglers and dodgy ships.
Mr. Sothinathan hopes that the 76 men who arrived off British Columbia in a rusty cargo ship last weekend will be given refugee status. The migrants are believed to also be fleeing Sri Lanka's bloody ethnic strife.
“It is a desperate situation. People want to escape from the country and have a better life,” he said. “Canada is a good country and especially there's a good chance for immigrants. It's good for Canada and it's good for the people who come here, too.”
After arriving with only the clothes on his back, Mr. Sothinathan worked in low-wage jobs and attended college. He is now a financial planner, owns two houses and is married with four children.
“I am an example for other people,” said the 47-year-old who lives in Toronto.
Like his fellow asylum seekers, Mr. Sothinathan came to Canada from a West German refugee camp. Although he had managed to flee Sri Lanka, he said, the situation in West Germany was little better because refugees were treated poorly and could not work or study.
When someone came to the camp promising passage to Canada on a comfortable ship for about $3,000, Mr. Sothinathan, then 24, thought, “Okay, I'm going to be on a cruise.”
Instead, he found himself in a cramped old cargo ship that smelled of livestock and lacked a proper washroom. People had to sleep on the floor and eat mouldy bread. And after nearly two weeks, the captain ditched them.
“They treated us like animals,” said Mr. Sothinathan , noting he still has nightmares about the trip.
Among those who helped the newcomers resettle in Toronto and Montreal was Arul Aruliah, who was then chairman of the Tamil Eelam Society's refugee and immigration committee. Two days after they were rescued, he flew to Newfoundland to assist.
Since then, he said, they have become productive members of Canadian society. At least one is a doctor. Others are entrepreneurs, accountants and truck drivers.
Mr. Aruliah said the migrants who arrived last weekend should be treated fairly and, provided they are legitimate refugees, be given the same opportunities as those who came before them.
“They should be afforded access to the process, no different from any other people claiming refugee status.
“That's all. No more or no less. That's how our system works