B.C. Supreme Court jury finds man guilty of smuggling Tamil migrants to Canada

VANCOUVER — A prosecutor says a man accused of bringing hundreds of Tamil migrants into Canada illegally in a dilapidated cargo ship nearly seven years ago has been found guilty.

A B.C. Supreme Court jury handed down a verdict on Saturday in the case of Kunarobinson Christhurajah. It was a retrial for the Sri Lankan national over his involvement in the voyage of the MV Sun Sea that travelled from Thailand to British Columbia’s coast in 2010. The vessel, which was considered unseaworthy in the open ocean, crossed the Pacific without a formal crew, carrying 492 Sri Lankan Tamils who intended to claim refugee status.