THE outstanding work by members of North Vancouver RCMP that has led to murder charges being laid in the shocking killing of Mohammed Mirhadi in a Lower Lonsdale cine- ma has, unfortunately, ‘been overshadowed by the revelations that one of the accused was a failed refugee claimant ‘and had been ordered out of the country. Jon Ottelo Moroury, the 18-year-old alleged killer, came to Canada in 1994 along with his father and sis- ter. The elder Moroury, _ Nader, an Iranian national, ‘arrived here with his family, “ona flight from London, En and, where the family “ha been living for a number of years. They claimed ce status, he system kicked in and allowed them all the rights “this country can provide, _ induding welfare and legal val As an aside, I’m told that ey . almost one third of the legal “aid budget goes to immigra- _ tion lawyers. My God, but.we are a ice bunch of people. Bur, I digress. Ina rare display of com- ' bo gration and refugee boards denied their claims and rdered their removal from da. Not back to the sing, despotic regime in in, but to England, the ther Of democracy. Appeals were filed and mained. Long enough on Moroiiry to get ‘olved: with. the “steroid erth shore news VIEWPOINT Our refugee runar punishment cal, reluctant to call this group a gang. Fair enough. Let’s call them a collec- tion of Iranian born or descended individuals who associated for a mutually beneficial purpose. The case against Moroury is befure the courts, so I won't get involved in the details which led up to his being accused of first-degree murder. What disturbs me greatly, however, is why was he still here to be in this position? In a further display of brazen cheekiness to the . good citizens of Canada, Nader Moroury had the temerity to ask West Vanconver MP John Reynolds to intervene on his behalf with the immigration minister to avoid his deporta- Uon order yet again, so that he could attend his son’s trial. Reynolds responded appropriately. Something resembling a Bronx cheer, I suspect. Reynolds, meanwhile, fired off letters to Immigration Minister Lucien Robillard demanding to know why Moroury was still in the country despite the removal orders. To date, Lam tald, he has yet to receive a response. This is not surprising though. Recent revelations in the media concerning the case of Macau Triad feader Tong Sang Lai, and the apparent ease in which he was able to grace our fair shores, precipitated a barrage of letters from Reynolds -YOUR COMPLETE - gRSP CHRIS CARTER Financial Advisor 925-5565 You must select an RRSP Maturity Option before December 31 1997. Options include converting to a RRIF and/or an annuity, To make an informed decision, call for your complimentary kit today. MIDLAND WALWYN BLUE CHIP THIN KING™ : ™EIUe Chip Thinking is a trademark of Midland Walwyn apita! inc. Member-Canadian Investor Protection Fund demanding answers from a shell-shocked Minister. Immigration department officials, right down the line, claimed they couldn’t discuss the specific case due to the Privacy Act. This is the standard response from every level of Tight up to and including the minister. In fact, if I hear that line one more time from the minister or a spokesperson, I’m going to hurl. Under Section 8 of the Privacy Act, the circum- stances under which the information may be dis- closed or withheld are out- lined. Subsection 2(m) states information may be dis- closed for any purpose where, in the opinion of the head of the institution, (the minister) “the public interest in disclosure clearly out- sveighs any invasion of priva- cy that could result from the disclosure.” Apparently, the minister feels that the suggestion of incompetence on the part of department officials is not in the public interest. ir perhaps, it is her own incompetence she is trying to keep from the public. The whole of the immi- SINC E 1965 BEDDING |. AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR ff SIMMONS Geng ; © Mattresses, Box Springs & Bed Frames ® Sofa Beds & Roll Away Cots © Quilts, Pillows & Pads © Most sizes in stock for immediate delivery © Ask about our FREE delivery, set up and old bed removal service WE BEAT. ALL «s COMPE HORS PRICES, 1 CHECK US OUT» v HUGE SELECTION v LOW WAREHOUSE PRICES (Gj COLONY} HOME FURNISHINGS § 1075 Roosevelt Crascent § North Vancouver {2 blocks behid Avalon Hotel) Mon - Thurs 9-6, Fri 9-9 Saturday 9-5, Sun 12-4 985-8738 a ee a ee ee gration and refugee system seems to be mired in incom- petence. Every week seems to bring a new revelation that some thug or other has com- mitted 2 heinous crime while here as a supposed refugee. Tong Sang Lai and Jon Ottelo Moroury are just recent examples of a system gone wrong. Oh, there’s more, lots more, Remember the case of Clayton Gayle in Toronto. He murdered a policeman when he was supposed to have been deported. I could go on and on, but space is limited. We have become a haven for the criminals of the world. The federal government seems unwilling or unable to do anything about the situa- tion, preferring to hide behind the specious argu- ment that they are simply unabie to discuss any individ- ual case because of the Privacy Act. If this were liar’s poker, it would be time to call “Bull****!” — The North Shore News believes strongly in freedom of speech and the ‘right of all sides in @ debate to be heard. The columnists published in the News present differing points of view, but those views are not necessarily those of the newspa- per itself. i oe oe zy eee i plsbeceaiees B Lube, oil & filter. change Seg. $28: $28.95 Pennzoil 10W30 Nos valad with other offers 7 days a week Mon-Sat 8: ‘00am-6: m, Sun. 9:00: Qpee. wes tly warranty approved r00p Expires Sepeensber 397 6: busload of passengers takes =: 40 vehicles off the road, BE saves 70,000 litres of : fuel and avoids 9 tonnes of air pollutants o year. Try transit! Who's there? Jesus said, "I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come in..." Come open your life to the love of God. Join us for. church this Sunday. NORTH LONSDALE UNITED Worship, & Sunday School 10: 30 am 3380 Lonsdale 7985-4911 |