DOES THIS MAKE ANY SENSE?

It seems to me that there is a disconnect: does the right hand know what the left hand is doing?


Chinese man accused of smuggling granted work permit



Chinese man accused of smuggling granted work permit


By Andrew Mayeda, Canwest News Service
February 5, 2009

OTTAWA — An accused smuggling kingpin whom some have called China’s most wanted man has been granted a temporary work permit by Canadian immigration officials.
Lai Changxing, also known as Lai Cheong Sing, is wanted in China for allegedly heading a multibillion-dollar smuggling ring, as well as bribing officials and evading taxes. He fled to Canada in 1999, but Canadian authorities have been trying to deport him back to China.
Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney confirmed Thursday that Lai has been granted a temporary work permit while he awaits the latest decision in his marathon legal battle with the Canadian government.
“Mr. Lai, I gather, got a work permit from officials out of our Vancouver office,” Kenney told reporters Thursday in the House of Commons foyer. “I gather the officials did so in this instance, believing that it was consistent with court rulings.”
A year after arriving in Canada, Lai applied for refugee status, but his claim was rejected. Lai has denied any criminal wrongdoing, and has argued he would face “cruel treatment,” including torture or the death penalty, at the hands of the Chinese government if he is forced to return.
Lai appealed the rejection of his refugee claim, but it was upheld by several courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada in 2005.
As a final step before his deportation to China, Lai underwent a "pre-removal risk assessment" by the Immigration Department to determine if he faced any risk of torture or death if he returned to China.
That assessment determined Lai faced no such risk, in part because of assurances received from the Chinese government that he would not face torture or the death penalty.
However, Lai appealed that risk-assessment decision to the Federal Court of Canada. In 2007, a Federal Court judge ordered another risk assessment after finding that the original assessment did not adequately consider the risk of torture.
A spokesman for Kenney said the work permit will allow Lai to make a living while he awaits the results of the new risk assessment, which the government hopes to complete within the next few months. “The important thing to note is that the (work permit) does not provide status in Canada,” spokesman Alykhan Velshi said in an e-mail.
Lai’s continued stay in Canada is believed to be a significant thorn in the side of Canada-China relations, with China pressing Canada to deport the accused smuggler so he can face trial.
Neither Lai nor his Canadian lawyer could immediately be reached for comment.

with files from Chad Skelton, the Vancouver Sun
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service