The Sri Lankan refugee family who risked everything by protecting the famous whistleblower Edward Snowden in Hong Kong is finally enjoying a better life in Quebec following a long wait. The fear and angst of the past few years have given way to laughter and hope, as the clan tastes happiness in their Montreal apartment.
• Read also: Snowden’s “Guardian Angels” Arrived in Canada
A little over three months have passed since the arrival of those known as Snowden’s “guardian angels”. Supun Thilina Kellapatha, Nadeeka Dilrukshi Nonis and their children Sethumdi and Dinath confidently approach their new existence.
The modest housing in the Saint-Laurent borough that the family occupies is teeming with life on this rainy Monday in December. Montreal received its first good snowfall a few hours earlier, which then turned to rain. Nothing enough to undermine everyone’s morale, especially Sethumdi, 10, delighted to be able to talk regarding the “huge snowball” made that very morning with his friends at school.
On this gray day, her smile lights up the room when she mimics her first snowman.
His father Supun listens to him, smirking. It is not a capricious weather that will make him lose his good humor. He and his wife Nadeeka suffered the worst abuse in Sri Lanka, the country they fled. They then lived in Hong Kong for many years with undocumented status where they risked deportation to their country of origin at any time.
It is in this megalopolis that they hid Edward Snowden, this former employee of the American intelligence agency NSA who became the number one public enemy in the United States following his revelations in 2013 (see below).
The little family arrived here a little over two and a half years following the first two “guardian angels”. In March 2019, Supun’s other daughter, Keana, and her mother Vanessa Rodel landed on Canadian soil.
Quickly, they made their nest in Montreal and integrated. The little one now speaks excellent French while her mother, of Filipino origin, speaks and understands the language at an intermediate level.
The latter has also followed some professional training and is now looking for job opportunities in Montreal. “I feel ready to work to help my daughter and build our future,” says Vanessa.
Unbearable wait
Quebec, Supun and Nadeeka have dreamed of it for a long time. Since the moment when Quebec lawyers have stepped up their efforts to bring them to the country, Supun has never stopped learning regarding his future homeland. From his tiny Hong Kong apartment, he might see big.
“Before, I didn’t have a life, I didn’t have a future. Now I have a destiny. We finally have a future, ”sees the patriarch, during the very first media interview since the family arrived in Montreal.
For many years, he often believed that the hoped-for good news was coming. Many times, expectations have turned into disappointment. The long sleepless nights and the stress have slowly made their home in the very modest home.
“But now I sleep very well,” Supun laughs.
“I have often been promised that I would leave Hong Kong in a month. But the next month, it didn’t happen. Other people told me that I would never go to Canada. It was difficult to live with. I didn’t want to miss this opportunity. “
“We had high hopes. A stable life, the security and freedom that awaited us in Canada, ”says Nadeeka.
Building “solid foundations”
The couple want to “build solid foundations” in Quebec. Settle, work and integrate. He can count on the non-profit organization For Refugees, which vouches for them. The organization For Refugees is funded entirely by private donations.
It was thanks to this money that they were able to land in an apartment already furnished with a full refrigerator.
“We are very grateful to Marc-André [Séguin] and Guillaume [Cliche-Rivard]. They made us a promise and they kept it, ”assures Supun, glancing at Mr.e Séguin.
This invaluable help allowed the four members of the family to quickly get to grips with Montreal. From the first week, the whole family walked to the top of Mount Royal without really knowing the path. Supun had seen footage of the mountain from Hong Kong and was keen to go there.
See Château Frontenac
Next stop: the Château Frontenac, of which he has seen the photos on the web.
“Quebec seems to be a beautiful historic city,” says Supun.
Even the poutine did not resist the family. And once more, this discovery is the result of research on the Internet.
“Now, I even make homemade poutine,” says Nadeeka with a smile, an outstanding cook and experienced seamstress.
Photo courtesy, Marc-André Séguin
The family lawyer, Marc-André Séguin, and the four members of the family, whom he took to the Bell Center to see a Canadiens game.
Their lawyer, Marc-André Séguin, also took them to see a Canadiens game earlier this season. If the performance of the team was not up to par, it nevertheless sparked a spark in the elder.
“When I grow up I want to be a hockey player. And play matches, ”says Sethumdi.
Not afraid to work hard
For the next few months, the couple’s priority is to find work. They already have their permanent residence, Canadian citizenship will follow in just under three years. “We want to build a life,” Nadeeka repeats a few times in the interview.
An excellent cricketer, Supun already sees himself in a Montreal club. This will allow him to find some landmarks lost over the years of exile in Hong Kong, a place hostile to undocumented migrants.
“The only jobs I might do were the ‘three D’s’, difficult, dangerous and dirty [difficile, dangereux et sale] », Laments Supun. From grave digger to worker on a construction site “on bamboo scaffolding, not attached to the 23e or 24e floor ”, he toiled hard. And he intends to do the same in Quebec.
“Work hard, that does not scare us”, adds his better half.
Photo courtesy, Marc-André Séguin
Dinath and Sethumdi were in awe of the cross-horse police in downtown Montreal. They are in the company of their mother, Nadeeka.
Even children, for the first time in their lives, have an identity card. Sethumdi and Dinath are stateless. The Canadian citizenship they should receive will finally allow them to be full members of a country for the first time in their short lives.
Until then, the family will continue to adapt. Supun will continue to search the Internet to learn regarding his host country. He is impatiently waiting to get his driver’s license so he can “take the whole family on vacation.” He intends to explore Quebec and its wide open spaces.
“We can finally dream of a better life. ”
MEETINGS AROUND THE FIR
Photo courtesy, Marc-André Séguin
Almost three years following seeing her daughter Keana for the last time, Supun Kellapatha was able to give her a hug once more just days before Christmas.
The long-awaited moment came in the early days of December as the family decorated their Christmas tree. Keana arrived in Canada in March 2019 with her mother, Vanessa Mae Rodel, following seeing Canada grant them permanent asylum. They were the first two “guardian angels” of Snowden to leave Hong Kong.
Keana and her half-sister Sethumdi hugged each other for a long time (photo below). Time had not erased anything from their friendship and the magic of Christmas worked. “Canada is the place for [célébrer] Christmas. Santa Claus comes from Canada, ”says Supun, smirking, delighted to find his three children around the tree.
Photo courtesy, Marc-André Séguin
A HOLIDAY CAKE AND A SECRET MESSAGE
A birthday cake purchased to celebrate Edward Snowden’s 30th birthday served as a hiding place to pass a secret message to the fugitive.
Shortly following arriving at the family’s very modest apartment in Hong Kong, the whistleblower handed over his passport to the father in case he was arrested by authorities. Leafing through the document, the father of the family noticed that the fugitive will soon be celebrating his birthday, on June 21.
Despite limited financial means, it was out of the question to pass over the event in silence and a birthday cake was bought. However, precautions are necessary. The cake winds its way through the streets and buildings of Hong Kong. We want to make sure that no one follows them. Finally arrived at its destination, the cake will not only satisfy the guests. “There was a secret message hidden in the cake,” reveals Supun, who had never told this story before according to the family lawyer, Marc-André Séguin.
► The organization For Refugees always collects donations to help the “guardian angels” of Snowden. It is possible to make a donation by visiting: www.fortherefugees.com/fr
Some key dates of the Snowden saga
Edward snowden is a former CIA and NSA employee. He revealed details of several mass surveillance programs in the US and UK.
MAY 20, 2013
- Shortly following stealing highly confidential information from the National Security Agency (NSA) using a USB key, the American took refuge in Hong Kong.
JUNE 9
- After the publication of reports containing explosive information in the dailies Washington Post and Guardian, Snowden reveals his identity to the world. A planetary hunt begins.
JUNE 10 TO 21
- Montreal lawyer Robert Tibbo came up with the idea of hiding the fugitive with refugee families in poor neighborhoods in Hong Kong. The most wanted man on the planet lands there for several days.
JUNE 23, 2013
- Snowden leaves Hong Kong and flies to Moscow, where Russia grants him temporary asylum.
SEPTEMBER 15, 2016
- Biographical film release Snowden, by Oliver Stone. The feature film highlights the role played by the “guardian angels” of the whistleblower. From that moment, they are monitored by the authorities and fear reprisals.
TODAY
- Edward Snowden still lives in Russia, where he is now a permanent resident.
Happy snowden for them
It was with great “relief” that whistleblower Edward Snowden greeted the news of the arrival of four of his “guardian angels” in Canada. Former CIA and NSA employee responded by email to questions sent to him the Journal.
“It’s easy to forget, now, how long everyone fought to make this happen, and quite frankly, how unlikely it was that we might be successful,” he wrote.
That said, he doesn’t believe he’ll be able to reunite with these once more.
“There is nothing I can do for their lives at the moment except problems. They will always have my admiration and gratitude […] ».
