MV Sun Sea Incident

Date: August 13, 2010 • Location: Burns Lake, Canada

After being boarded by Canadian authorities, MV Sun Sea docked in British Columbia and the 492 Sri Lankan Tamil refugee claimants on board were placed in detention.

MV Sun Sea was a Thai cargo ship that brought 492 Sri Lankan Tamils into British Columbia, Canada in August 2010. Following their arrival, the passengers—seeking refuge in Canada after the end of the Sri Lankan Civil War in 2009—were transferred to detention facilities in the Lower Mainland, for which the Canadian government faced criticism from various advocacy groups.