Canada hunts ‘war criminals’ inside country

Canada asks residents to report any information about thirty alleged “war criminals” to its border patrol agency [CBSA]

Canada has released the names of 30 suspected war criminals that the government says entered the country without proper migration documents and are staying there illegally.

A statement on the Canada Border Services Agency’s (CBSA) website, released on Thursday, says that the people come from countries as far ranging as Ghana to Guatemala and Peru to Pakistan.

The statement said the suspects had “violated human or international rights under the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act or under international law” and asked the public to report any information that could lead to the alleged criminals whereabouts.

The website did not mention any specific charges against the individuals who are named and pictured.

“We hope that reaching out to the public today will enhance the ability of the CBSA and its partner organisations to effectively deal with persons complicit in these acts,” said Luc Portelance, president of the CBSA.

“I’m here with the minister of public safety and the minister of citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism, to encourage the public to provide any information to the CBSA about violations of our immigration law or suspicious cross-border activity.”

Jason Kenney, Canada’s immigration minister, said anyone who has committed or been an accomplice to war crimes should be deported.

“Should they arrive here by fraud, they will be identified, they will be located, and they will face the consequences,” he said.

Kenney said he was concerned some war criminals may be setting their sights on Canada because of what he called the country’s reputation of a lax asylum system.

The announcement comes a day after Kenney said the government would revoke the citizenship of at least 1,800 people who allegedly used fraudulent means to obtain citizenship status.