First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa
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Refugee Sanctuary

Picture of Shree Kumar Rai

April 24, 2009

For Immediate Release

Shree Kumar Rai Legally in Canada
After Two Years in Sanctuary

Ottawa, April 24 – The First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa is pleased to announce that Shree Kumar Rai, a refugee
from Nepal who has been in sanctuary at the church since February 27, 2007, has been legally admitted to Canada.

Mr. Rai has now met all of Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s requirements for permanent entry as a skilled worker  and has satisfied an outstanding deportation order issued by the Canada Border Services Agency.  He will soon be joined here from Nepal by his wife Dikchhya and teen-age son Aditya, who he has not seen for more than 12 years.

The First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa accepted Mr. Rai into sanctuary after a thorough review of his case. It was determined by the Congregation that the immigration system failed to recognize that Mr. Rai was a genuine refugee and that he would be in danger if he were forced to return to Nepal.

While churches have a centuries-old tradition of providing sanctuary to protect refugees and people who are oppressed or whose lives are threatened, this practice has no formal basis in Canadian law. However, more than a dozen refugees whose status was not legal have been granted sanctuary in Canadian churches in recent years. Many of them eventually gained legal status to remain in Canada.

While in sanctuary Shree was confined to the Unitarian church and its grounds on Cleary Ave. in Ottawa’s west end. He helped with maintenance in the church, made sushi to help pay legal expenses and support his family in Nepal, and developed a promising talent as a painter. He is a skilled sushi chef and has been offered employment in a sushi restaurant in Ottawa.

Mr. Rai was a teacher and a storekeeper in Nepal. He fled to Canada during a civil war in Nepal when his life was in danger. Peace has now been restored in Nepal, the monarchy has been deposed, and the country’s Maoists have been elected to power through a democratic election.. .

The First Unitarian Congregation would like to thank the Honourable Jason Kenney, the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, and his officials for their help in resolving Mr. Rai’s case.

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For more information contact:

Mike Cassidy:  613- 829-4231.

Patricia Paul-Carson: 613-883-7232  (cell)

First Congregation: 613-725-1066

 

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Photo: Rod MacIvor, The Ottawa Citizen - 2007-03-22