VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - A paralyzed refugee claimant who was seeking shelter in an Abbotsford Sikh temple is returning home to India tonight. After 15 months in sanctuary, Laibar Singh has decided to leave the Gurdwara and return to India to be with his family.
Omni TV reporter Dilber Kaing says he spoke with Singh on his way to YVR. "On one side he's happy to go home and see his kids after many years and he will spend the rest of his life with his kids. On another side he was very emotional and disappointed. He said he came to this country with hope and is leaving this country disappointed."
The 49 year old arrived in Canada in 2003 on a false passport and later applied for refugee status. He lost his case and all subsequent appeals, and a removal order was issued against him. He landed in hospital in 2006 after an illness left him paralyzed and dependent on a wheelchair.
By Andrea Macpherson/Kari-Lyn Twidale