Last Updated: May 24 2006 11:30 AM PDT
About 150 members of B.C.’s Indo-Canadian community gathered in Stanley Park on Tuesday night to remember the infamous Komagata Maru incident that happened in Vancouver’s Burrard Inlet nearly 100 years ago.
On May 23, 1914, the ship carrying 376 would-be immigrants from India, arrived in the harbour. But it received a hostile reception from Vancouver residents, and government officials wouldn’t allow the passengers to disembark.
Authorities also stopped food and water shipments to the ship, which was forced to leave Canadian waters two months later. The passengers survived in Vancouver because food was smuggled out to the ship by sympathizers.
Indo-Canadian community leaders say they’ve been campaigning for an apology from Ottawa for 11 years, and that it’s time the Canadian government acknowledged the discrimination that occurred.
“We would expect not only the Harper government, any government in Ottawa to look at this issue and acknowledge this, and have an apology,” said community spokesman Jasbir Sandhu.
Sandhu said they would like to see a memorial commemorating the passengers of the Komagata Maru. But he said there are no plans to ask for any financial compensation for the families of the passengers.
Jaswinder Toor, whose grandfather was on the Komagata Maru, said it still hurts to remember what happened to his grandfather.
“Let’s not forget that the Komagata Maru incident was a black mark left on Canadian history. An apology is a must.”
Copyright © 2006 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – All Rights Reserved
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