SIKH REFUGEES WHO LANDED ON
N.S. BEACH 20 YEARS AGO NOW
SETTLED ACROSS CANADA

by James Keller

HALIFAX -- Many swam to shore, others simply grabbed onto anything that would float.

Hungry, thirsty and exhausted from spending nearly three weeks crossing the Atlantic in a cramped cargo freighter, 173 South Asian refugees -- mostly Sikhs -- stunned locals and sparked a frenzy of interest across the country when they appeared along a secluded Nova Scotia beach 20 years ago.

Paul Sandhu, who was just 22 years old at the time, says much of the group doubted they would actually make it to Canada until they were dropped in the water near the tiny fishing village of Charlesville in the early hours of July 12, 1987.

``We're eating every 24 hours a little rice, not enough drinking water, we couldn't take showers, we had no clothes or beds, one blanket for four guys,'' recalls Sandhu, who lives with his family in Brampton, Ont., and owns a motel.

``We don't know if we'd get there or not ... and we don't know where we are going.''

They spent much of their time on the ship in a five-metre-deep hold, which had a grill-covered hole on the floor for human waste. The hold was later found smelling of garbage and littered with torn and abandoned clothing, papers, toiletries, playing cards and foreign newspapers, all left behind when the group headed for land.

``It was dark,'' says Sandhu, adding it took 15 minutes to get everyone off the ship. ``We knew it was not too far from the land and we just swam, but not everybody. We made stuff (that would float) that could come off the ship.''

After reaching the shore, they were first met by confused locals and then the RCMP. Their next stop was a nearby fire hall, before the refugees were bused to a military base in Halifax to be checked over by doctors and interviewed by immigration officials.

Eventually, they were released and given work permits while the federal government assessed their claims, which were all successful. Most settled in Vancouver and Toronto, and started new careers and families.

But 20 years ago, their futures were less certain.

Most of the 172 men and one woman had already left their native India to escape persecution for their religious beliefs. Sandhu, who had been living in Germany for more than a year, says the European countries where they were seeking refuge appeared unwilling to let them stay for much longer.

So rather than face the possibility of being deported to India, they paid as much as US$5,000 each to board the Amelie, a 59-metre Chilean-registered cargo ship, near the Dutch port of Rotterdam.

The smugglers who brought the refugees to Nova Scotia told them someone would pick them up, but whoever was supposed to meet them never showed up, says Sandhu. They had no idea where they were, and one of the refugees reportedly asked for a taxi to take them to Toronto.

In Charlesville, news of the group's arrival quickly spread through the small community, with some locals offering to take them in for the night or feed them during their brief stay.

Rosalie Stoddard became something of a celebrity after she organized breakfast for the new arrivals at the fire hall in nearby Woods Harbour.

Stoddard, who worked in the hall's kitchen at the time, recalls the group arriving on school buses and filing in to sit at a collection of tables. A few had some cuts and bruises from their journey, she says, but otherwise were in good shape.

``They were hungry and they were really thirsty,'' says Stoddard.

``We knew it was going to be hours before they ever got to Halifax, so we just decided to feed them. We knew they would probably be vegetarian, and we figured peanut butter and jam -- they could probably eat that.''

Stoddard says the large group talked among themselves but said very little to anyone else. Few spoke any English. They were orderly, very calm and even helped prepare the food and drinks.

The meal of peanut butter sandwiches -- along with Kool-Aid and tea -- earned Stoddard the nickname ``the peanut butter lady,'' and she says the whole affair has left a permanent mark on the area.

``I don't think it will ever be forgotten,'' says Stoddard, adding that some of the refugees have returned to visit several times since they first arrived. ``It's part of our history.''

The arrival of the Sikhs amplified a national debate over immigration reform. Then-prime minister Brian Mulroney recalled Parliament weeks after the refugees arrived to tackle revised laws designed to tighten the system.

Legislation passed in the House of Commons a year later gave the federal government new powers to quickly assess cases and turn false claimants away.

However, if a similar group arrived today, the final outcome would likely be very similar, says Immigration Department spokesman Jon Stone.

Stone, who was also the department's spokesman when the Sikhs arrived in 1987, said procedures are better defined and there are some new structures in place to help evaluate immigration claims more quickly, but the basics haven't changed.

``An outsider's view of things would not see much difference in the actual process,'' says Stone. ``Essentially, if the Amelie was to arrive today under the same circumstances as 20 years ago, more or less the same thing would happen. Should they be found to not represent a risk or danger to the public, in theory they could be granted temporary work permits.''

Stone added that while it has long been reported that 174 refugees arrived at Charleswood 20 years ago, the correct figure is 173.

Several people were convicted in connection with the smuggling plot, including Rolf Nygren, then 47, who was sentenced to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine for orchestrating the plan.

The Amelie was seized by the RCMP a day after dropping off the refugees. It was sold to a Nova Scotia businessman two years later.