Surrey street renamed Komagata Maru Way to remember immigration tragedy
SURREY (NEWS 1130) – A street in Surrey has been renamed to remember the victims of the Komagata Maru incident after city council voted on it earlier this year.
The new name takes over a strip of 75A Avenue, between 120 Street and 121A Street. It is named for a Japanese steamship carrying 376 Indian immigrants that arrived off the coast of B.C. in 1914, only to be denied entry into Vancouver.
Immigration regulations at the time required migrants to arrive in Canada directly from their country of origin — a journey that was virtually impossible from India in 1914.
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RELATED: Surrey to name street after Komagata Maru tragedy
When the immigrants were sent back, 19 passengers were killed by gunfire and others were imprisoned. The Canadian and the B.C. government have both issued formal apologies for the incident.
Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum says renaming the street is proof that the citizens of the city won’t forget the injustices of the past.
In addition to the commemorative street name signs, city council has also approved the installation of a storyboard in a nearby park explaining the history of the Komagata Maru.
