Sri Lankan born Canadian arrested for human trafficking

The Canadian daily National Post reported a Canadian wanted by police for allegedly organizing the MV Sun Sea human smuggling operation has been arrested at Toronto’s Pearson airport after arriving on a flight from Germany.

The newspaper said that Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) had been looking for Nadarajah Mahendran since June 6, when he and two others were charged in connection with smuggling 492 Sri Lankan asylum seekers to Canada from Southeast Asia in 2010.

The former Toronto convenience store owner and alleged alien smuggler had left Canada after being questioned by authorities. The paper said that he has traveled to Sri Lanka, his birthplace, but while he was away police issued a warrant for his arrest.

The investigation into the human smuggling ring behind the MV Sun Sea, which brought 492 asylum seekers to Canada in 2010, has ended with charges against two Canadians and four Sri Lankans.

Meanwhile Kunarobinson Christhurajah, 32, who was the owner of the Thai cargo ship that arrived off the West Coast in August 2010 carrying 492 Sri Lankan refugee claimants, was arrested by the Canadian Police earlier along with a person named Lesly Jana Emmanuel who is also charged with the human trafficking operation. Both of them face a possible life sentence and $1-million fine. A third alleged organizer, Thayakaran Markandu, was arrested in France on March 29. (niz).