|
|
|
Plaque with Komagata Maru apology presented to temple |
|
|
Written by MARK NIELSEN
Citizen staff
|
|
Tuesday, 08 July 2008 |
Related Items
UNITED STATES
On May 23, 1914, 376 people from Punjab, India arrived in Canadian waters on board the Komagata Maru, a Japanese tramp steamer hired by a Sikh merchant.
The ship remained anchored off Vancouver harbour while Canadian immigration officials deliberated on whether to allow the passengers to enter Canada.
The passengers consisted of 340 Sikhs, 24 Muslims, and 12 Hindus, and all were British subjects. All but 22 of them were turned away and the vessel was forced to return to India.
It is considered to be one of the most notorious incidents in the history of early 20th century exclusion laws designed to keep out immigrants of Asian origin out of Canada and the United States.
On the 94th anniversary of the ship's arrival in Vancouver, MLAs unanimously endorsed an apology for the incident which states: "The House deeply regrets that the passengers, who sought refuge in our country and our province, were turned away without benefit of the fair and impartial treatment befitting a society where people of all cultures are welcomed and accepted."
The federal government also issued an apology for the incident in May.
Prince George-Omineca MLA John Rustad said some people may think the apology was for an event that happened a long time ago, "but the bottom line is it was a pretty ugly thing in our history in terms of some racism that was shown there.
"So I was actually very pleased that we brought that motion forward in the house, that it was passed unanimously and also that we had the opportunity to present it to the temple here locally."
Temple president Ken Bhullar said the event on Sunday was important to the local Indo-Canadian community in part because some have one of the people who were turned away in their family tree.
Upon returning to India, the Komagata Maru arrived in Calcutta on September 26, where, upon entry into the harbour, the ship was forced to stop by a British gunboat, and the passengers were placed under guard.
The ship was then diverted to nearby Budge Budge, where the British intended to put the group on a train bound for Punjab. The passengers wanted to stay in Calcutta and marched on the city, but were forced to return to Budge Budge and reboard the ship.
The passengers protested, with some refusing to reboard, and the police opened fire, killing 20 and wounding nine others. This incident became known as the Budge Budge Riot.
 |
|
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 08 July 2008 )
|
ColumbusHotelFire_thumb.jpg "Dryer started Columbus fire: chief - A clothes dryer is believed to be the cause of the fire that destroyed the Columbus Hotel. ((PRG102)ColumbusHotelFire.jpg - 1962087)")
Subscribe to this comment's feed
