No help for Singh

 The failed refugee claimant, Laiber Singh — who has spent nearly a year in sanctuary in a Metro Vancouver temple — won’t get good medical treatment in India if deported by the Canadian authorities.

A personal visit to his native village, Sohal Khalsa in Jalandhar district of Punjab, India, revealed that his family and the village environment are not equipped to meet his long-term medical needs.

Singh entered Canada in 2003 as a political refugee. However, his claim was rejected and he was ordered deported. A stroke left him paralyzed in 2006 and landed him in a long-term care facility in Vancouver. To avoid deportation, he took sanctuary at a Sikh temple in Abbotsford last year with the help of friends.

The Canadian government finally decided to deport him on December 10, the International Day of Human Rights — after reviewing his case following protests and petitioning. Over 1,000 people gathered at the Vancouver International Airport to stop his deportation.

Laiber Singh was sent to a different Sikh temple after the authorities decided not to wade into the crowd. He came back to the same Sikh temple in Abbotsford after two other temples refused to give him sanctuary even after keeping him for several days.

Immediately after the airport rally, the blame game began amongst the supporters of Laiber Singh, some of whom tried to buy peace with the government and backed off. They attempted to send him back by promising to raise funds for his treatment in India.

It is not practical to help Singh in his village environment, even with Canadian dollars. Two of Singh’s four children — a teenaged boy and a girl — live in a two-room-house. Their only regular source of income is from his daughter Pinky’s sewing business. His son, Kanwaljeet Singh, goes to a school run on charity. Their younger sister currently stays with Singh’s sister, while the eldest one is married. Their mother died in 1994.

They cannot afford a full time nurse or a vehicle that can transport their father to the nearest city centre in case of emergency. They were getting money from Laiber Singh until he fell ill.

If Singh were still a healthy person, he would have probably melted into the crowd of thousands of illegal aliens who are helping the black economy of Canada and the U.S. instead of hiding in a temple. Canadian authorities should show some compassion and let him stay in a country that claims to be a champion of human rights.