There is evidence of possibility that the vessel, MV Princess Easwary (which was renamed MV Ocean Lady) is still an LTTE-controlled ship, said adjudicator Lynda Mackie in a nine-page ruling released Monday.

Singapore-based terrorism expert, Rohan Gunaratna, who raised the migrants issue with the Canadian government, was grilled for hours under cross-examination.

The migrants' lawyers claim the men are refugees fleeing the aftermath of the conflict in Sri Lanka, reported the Globe and Mail.

But Gunaratna alleges that some of the men are members of the LTTE. He told the Canadian government they planned to move to Canada to re-establish the separatist movement and raise funds.

But Gunaratna's assertions were called into question by lawyers for the migrant men, all of whom plan to make refugee claims.

They claimed Mr. Gunaratna was biased in favour of the Sri Lankan government and demanded to cross-examine him.

However, after hearing the cross-examination, Ms. Mackie ruled the Mr. Gunaratna's conclusions aren't unreasonable.

“I am satisfied that some weight must be given to Dr. Gunaratna's assertions concerning the LTTE's connections to the MV Easwary and find that it is possible that it,” Ms. Mackie said.

The ruling means that the Tamil migrants aren't likely to get out of custody any time soon. The migrants' lawyers had hoped the cross-examination of Gunaratna would poke holes in his claim that the men are potential terrorists. The LTTE is listed by the Canadian government as a terrorist organization.