Tamil mother remains in detention in B.C. because of necklace

The federal government has dragged its heels disclosing evidence to ensure the continued detention of MV Sun Sea passengers, including a mother who's been held for months because of a necklace that allegedly links her to the Tamil Tigers, her lawyer said Monday.

The woman and her children – who can't be identified because of a publication ban – have been at a Burnaby youth corrections facility since the MV Sun Sea arrived in B.C. last August. Of the 63 women onboard the cargo ship, 25 were taken to the Burnaby jail with their children. Only one of those 25 remains locked up. At an Immigration and Refugee Board hearing in Vancouver, the Canada Border Services Agency argued the woman should be kept behind bars until the necklace with a pendant – called a thali – can be fully investigated. CBSA previously said the woman's thali is believed to be given only to members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a terrorist organization banned in Canada. The Tigers were defeated in the Sri Lankan civil war in 2009.

Douglas Cannon, the woman's lawyer, said there was nothing suspicious about his client's explanation that her husband bought her the thali for their wedding day. He also blasted CBSA's lack of disclosure, arguing seven months after his client arrived in Canada he still doesn't know exactly what she's accused of.

"The Minister [of Public Safety] is not pursuing the necessary steps to properly [...]