Ottawa, October 29, 2010 — The Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, and the Honourable Vic Toews, the Minister of Public Safety, issued the following statement on behalf of the Government of Canada:
“These arrests under Thai immigration laws are a reminder that human smuggling operators have also used Thailand as a transit country to target Canada's immigration system. The Government of Canada is working closely with authorities in transit countries, such as Thailand, to detect and disrupt human smuggling operations before they reach Canada. While we will not comment on specific operational practices, stronger cooperation with authorities in transit countries such as Thailand is part of the Government of Canada’s overall strategy to prevent human smugglers from abusing Canada’s immigration system. These arrests are a reminder that the threat to our immigration system is real.”
For further information (media only), please contact:
Alykhan Velshi
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Media Relations
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca
Media Relations
Public Safety Canada
613-991-0657
