MAJOR POLICE ACTION AGAINST SIKHS IN VANCOUVER

C O N F I D E N T I A L VANCOUVER 2152 OTTAWA PLS POUCH HALIFAX AND WINNIPEG E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR TAGS: PTER PINS MOPS IN CA SUBJECT: MAJOR POLICE ACTION AGAINST SIKHS IN VANCOUVER ¶1. (C - ENTIRE TEXT) ¶2. THE RCMP AND VANCOUVER POLICE CARRIED OUT A SERIES OF ARRESTS AND COORDINATED SEARCHES OF THE HOMES OF MILITANT SIKHS HERE IN VANCOUVER NOVEMBER 6. THE RCMP ARRESTS OF TALWINDER SINGH PARMAR AND INDERJIT SINGH REYAT WERE IN CONNECTION WITH THE NARITA AIRPORT EXPLOSION LAST JUNE. THE VANCOUVER POLICE RAIDS WERE NOT RELATED TO THE NARITA BOMBING, BUT TO A NUMBER OF RECENT ATTACKS BY MILITANT SIKHS ON MORE MODERATE SIKHS HERE IN VANCOUVER. ¶3. PRESS REPORTS HERE PORTRAY THE ARREST OF PARMAR AND REYAT AS BEING RELATED BOTH TO THE NARITA AIRPORT BOMBING AND THE ALMOST SIMULTANEOUS LOSS OF AIR INDIA FLIGHT 182 OVER THE ATLANTIC. PRESS REPORTS STATE THAT THE RCMP ARE CONVINCED THEY HAVE PROOF THAT AIR INDIA FLIGHT 182 WAS DESTROYED BY A BOMB, AND THAT THE TWO INCIDENTS WERE LINKED, AND WERE ENGINEERED FROM THE VANCOUVER AREA. APPARENTLY THE PRESS ACCOUNTS ARE SOMEWHAT EXAGGERATED. ¶4. ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER DONALD WILSON, ACTING IN CHARGE OF THE RCMP IN BRITISH COLUMBIA TELLS ME THAT THE EVIDENCE THAT THE RCMP HAS AGAINST PARMAR AND REYAT RELATES ONLY TO THE NARITA AIRPORT BOMBING. HE DID NOT SEEM OVERLY CONFIDENT THAT THE EVIDENCE WILL BE ENOUGH TO BRING CHARGES, BUT HE HOPES SO. COMMISSIONER WILSON SAYS THAT THIS IS "JUST ABOUT OUR LAST SHOT." ¶5. THE RAIDS BY THE VANCOUVER POLICE ON THE HOMES OF PROMINENT SIKH MILITANTS WERE RELATED TO A NUMBER OF INCIDENTS IN RECENT WEEKS IN WHICH THE MILITANTS HAVE ATTACKED MORE MODERATE SIKHS IN AN ATTEMPT TO GAIN CONTROL OF THE SIKH COMMUNITY IN VANCOUVER. VIOLENT INTIMIDATION TACTICS HAVE REPORTEDLY FORCED MEMBERS OF A SIKH TEMPLE IN THE VANCOUVER SUBURB OF SURREY TO ACCEPT A "COMPROMISE" ACCORD THAT GIVES CONTROL TO THE FUNDAMENTALISTS. MANMOHAN SINGH, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE MILITANT INTERNATIONAL SIKH YOUTH FEDERATION, ASSERTS THAT THE FUNDAMENTALISTS NOW CONTROL THE SIKH TEMPLES IN ABBOTSFORD, SURREY, AND NEW WESTMINISTER, AND THE ROSS STREET TEMPLE IN VANCOUVER. HE SAID THAT VOTING REGULATIONS AT THE OTHER VANCOUVER TEMPLE, ON SKEENA STREET, HAVE PREVENTED THE ISYF FROM GAINING CONTROL THERE. SEVERAL SIKH MODERATES IN VANCOUVER HAVE RECENTLY BEEN THE VICTIMS OF VIOLENT ATTACKS BY RADICAL SIKHS. AND THE MILITANTS HAVE DISRUPTED A TEMPLE ELECTION IN NEW WESTMINISTER. ¶6. THE MAIN MILITANT SIKH GROUPS IN VANCOUVER ARE THE BABAR KHALSA AND THE INTERNATIONAL SIKH YOUTH FEDERATION. THE BABAR KHALSA WAS FOUNDED AND IS HEADED BY TALWINDER SINGH PARMAR. A FORMER MEMBER, SURJAN SINGH GILL, ESTABLISHED THE CONSULATE OF THE SO-CALLED REPUBLIC OF KHALISTAN IN VANCOUVER. THE INTERNATIONAL SIKH YOUTH FEDERATION IS HEADED BY SATINDERPAL GILL, BUT ITS MAIN SPOKESMAN APPEARS TO BE MANMOHAN SINGH, ONE OF THOSE WHOSE HOME WAS RAIDED BY THE POLICE. POLICE FOUND A NUMBER OF WEAPONS AT HIS HOME. OTHER MILITANT SIKHS WHO WERE QUESTIONED OR HAD THEIR HOMES SEARCHED WERE SODHI SINGH SODHI (ISYF); SURJAN SINGH GILL (FORMER MEMBER OF BABAR KALSA); SANGAT SINGH PAWA; AMARJIT SINGH PAWA; AND HARDIAL SINGH JOHAL. OGG