At the State Department media briefing held yesterday (5 August), Assistant Secretary Philip J. Crowley said the Thai ship MV Sun Sea is being monitored by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security and appropriate action will be taken depending on the destination of the ship.

"As a practical matter, we monitor, through the Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security, all ships that are moving in waters and moving towards the United States. We don't know about this particular ship, what its final destination is. As I think DHS has said in the past 24 hours, it will take appropriate action depending on the course of that ship", he said.

He added there was information that there may be some individuals on board the ship and the DHS is the agency that deals with such matters.

"We are tracking this ship and we're prepared to take appropriate action if need be," Crowley stated.

Canadian authorities too said on Sunday they are preparing to handle any situation that may arise from the arrival of the migrant ship carrying Sri Lankan Tamil refugees some time in the second week of August.

"We are watching very closely. We are preparing for any inevitability and we are working closely with the international community, most notably with the United States of America," Canada's Defence Minister Peter MacKay told Canadian media.

It is reported that MV Sun Sea is approaching Canada with more than 200 migrants, some believed to be members of the LTTE.