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Canadian Police End Investigation of Ship


By Carrol MacIvor



Ottawa, June 3 (RFE/RL) -- The Royal Canadian Mounted Police say they have completed their investigation aboard a Taiwanese container ship whose crew allegedly murdered three Romanian stowaways.

The "Maersk Dubai" has been in the Atlantic Coast Canadian port of Halifax, Nova Scotia since last week when a number of crew members jumped ship. Some of those crew members claimed that three Romanian stowaways had been thrown overboard while the vessel was on its way to Canada from Spain. A fourth Romanian stowaway was hidden by crew members and handed over to Canadian police in Halifax. He is seeking asylum.

RCMP spokesman Bill Price says police investigators found evidence that Romanian stowaways were on the vessel but would not say what the evidence was.

Police boarded the ship and arrested the captain and six officers because of arrest warrants for murder issued by the Romanian government. They will appear in court for the second time on Wednesday for an extradition hearing. Taiwan claims Canada has no authority to charge the officers on Romania's behalf and it wants the seven men turned over to its embassy officials, for legal action in Taiwan.
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