Canada’s government urged to take in Hong Kong asylum seekers who sheltered Edward Snowden
Montreal lawyers raise funds and form NGO calling for all three groups of individuals to be resettled in their country
Last week, the three groups of individuals who housed Snowden for about two weeks, said they wanted to leave Hong Kong and named Canada as the place where they would like to relocate to.
“I would choose Canada... I heard I could have good protection and hopefully I could work,” said Ajith Pushpakumara, 44, a former soldier from Sri Lanka who arrived in Hong Kong in 2006.
Filipino Vanessa Mae Rodel, who has a four-year-old daughter, and Sri Lankan couple Nadeeka Dilrukshi Nonis and Supun Thilina Kellapatha, who have two small children, also mentioned Canada as their top preference. All have waited several years to have their protection claims screened.
The group of Montreal lawyers – Marc-André Séguin, Francis Tourigny and Michael Simkin – set up an NGO named For the Refugees in November in Quebec.