Post by DakuSingh on Nov 4, 2008 17:25:47 GMT
VANCOUVER - Paralyzed would be refugee claimant Laibar Singh was put on a plane back to India early Tuesday morning after his failed bid to remain in Canada on humanitarian grounds.
Well-wishers spent Monday stopping by Kalgidhar Darbar Sikh temple in Abbotsford, just east of Vancouver, to say goodbye to Singh, who thwarted three earlier attempts by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to deport him.
Temple president Swarn Singh Gill said many supporters were sad to see Singh go and were offering him cash to help with his care once he returns to his native state of Punjab.
Laibar Singh, shown in December, 2007, announced through his lawyer recently that he was giving up sanctuary and would report to the CBSA to return to India.
Wayne Leidenfrost/Vancouver Province
"A lot of people have been coming by," Gill said.
He said Singh, 49, was to fly on a regular commercial flight, but that CBSA was sending a nurse to help the disabled man during the long journey.
"We are still very concerned about him," Gill said.
Singh announced through his lawyer and Gill two weeks ago that he was giving up sanctuary and would report to the CBSA to return to India. He said he missed his family and was too stressed by fears he would be arrested if he had a medical emergency and had to leave the temple where he often stayed since January 2007.
Singh arrived in Canada in 2003 on a false passport and later applied for refugee status. But he lost his case and all subsequent appeals, and a removal order was issued against him. He landed in hospital in 2006 after an illness left him paralyzed and dependent on a wheelchair.
In June 2007, it was learned he would be deported a few days later despite his then-fragile health. He took sanctuary in the Abbotsford temple the same day that the CBSA had chartered a flight to Delhi.
The CBSA attempted to deport him again six months later, but protesters blockaded the airport, preventing his removal for a second time. In January, after Singh was settled at Guru Nanak temple in Surrey, B.C., another rally stopped a third deportation attempt.
But community support dwindled after a $50,000 bond put up by a number of groups was forfeited to the government last March because Singh failed to report for deportation.
Gill said about $38,000 has been raised and will be donated for Singh to cover the costs of his care in India.
He said he does not blame the CBSA or other officials for Singh's losing battle to remain in Canada.
"They are just doing their job," Gill said.
CBSA officials did not return phone calls Monday.
Well-wishers spent Monday stopping by Kalgidhar Darbar Sikh temple in Abbotsford, just east of Vancouver, to say goodbye to Singh, who thwarted three earlier attempts by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to deport him.
Temple president Swarn Singh Gill said many supporters were sad to see Singh go and were offering him cash to help with his care once he returns to his native state of Punjab.
Laibar Singh, shown in December, 2007, announced through his lawyer recently that he was giving up sanctuary and would report to the CBSA to return to India.
Wayne Leidenfrost/Vancouver Province
"A lot of people have been coming by," Gill said.
He said Singh, 49, was to fly on a regular commercial flight, but that CBSA was sending a nurse to help the disabled man during the long journey.
"We are still very concerned about him," Gill said.
Singh announced through his lawyer and Gill two weeks ago that he was giving up sanctuary and would report to the CBSA to return to India. He said he missed his family and was too stressed by fears he would be arrested if he had a medical emergency and had to leave the temple where he often stayed since January 2007.
Singh arrived in Canada in 2003 on a false passport and later applied for refugee status. But he lost his case and all subsequent appeals, and a removal order was issued against him. He landed in hospital in 2006 after an illness left him paralyzed and dependent on a wheelchair.
In June 2007, it was learned he would be deported a few days later despite his then-fragile health. He took sanctuary in the Abbotsford temple the same day that the CBSA had chartered a flight to Delhi.
The CBSA attempted to deport him again six months later, but protesters blockaded the airport, preventing his removal for a second time. In January, after Singh was settled at Guru Nanak temple in Surrey, B.C., another rally stopped a third deportation attempt.
But community support dwindled after a $50,000 bond put up by a number of groups was forfeited to the government last March because Singh failed to report for deportation.
Gill said about $38,000 has been raised and will be donated for Singh to cover the costs of his care in India.
He said he does not blame the CBSA or other officials for Singh's losing battle to remain in Canada.
"They are just doing their job," Gill said.
CBSA officials did not return phone calls Monday.
