Tricky Ricky, Sickly Stripper
Suwalee Iamkong, aka "Ricky", is the AIDS case who married and infected useful idiot Percy Whiteman for status in Canada -- or love -- depending on your level of naïveté. "Whiteman claims his life has been ruined and he wants someone to pay for it. That 'someone' is actually three entities: his wife, the Canadian government and the Zanzibar Nightclub in Toronto. [He] has filed a $33 million lawsuit against the trio, after he claims he tested HIV positive thanks to his wife's infection. Iamkong has something of a sordid history in Toronto. She's a former stripper who was brought over from Hong Kong in 1995 to work at the local club. [Actually, stripping in Toronto was a step up from prostitution in Hong Kong.]
Before she arrived, a test conducted in the Chinese city showed she had HIV. She told the court she didn't believe those findings and Immigration Canada requested another test. But when they didn't press the matter, there was no follow up and Iamkong entered the country. [Okay, according to another story, she was tested in Canada but it was a straightforward blood test that did not test for HIV. Canada did not start testing immigrants for HIV until 2001] Whiteman sponsored her entry into Canada and the night-club agreed to hire her.
It wasn't until 2004 that he discovered she was positive for the virus and by then, it was too late -- he was already infected. Iamkong was eventually found guilty of aggravated sexual assault causing bodily harm for hiding her secret from him, and she served three years in jail.
She remains in the custody of Canadian Border Services as she appeals that conviction. [She is fighting the pending deportation order by challenging her previous conviction and the sentence she actually asked for.] But her husband ... wants to see his former wife kicked out of the country and worries what might happen if the verdict is overturned. [He is concerned about further victims and remains financially on the hook for her until 2011.] Whiteman alleges his former spouse is simply trying to stay here so she can take advantage of our 'free' health care system, and he's determined not to let it happen." (City News, March 24, 2009) He should know.
During their marriage Whiteman worked two and sometimes three jobs, while "Ricky" and her stripper sister sent all their money home to Thailand.
[This article appears in the May, 2009 issue of the CANADIAN IMMIGRATION HOTLINE. Published monthly, the CANADIAN IMMIGRATION HOTLINE is available by subscription for $30 per year. You can subscribe by sending a cheque or VISA number and expiry date to CANADIAN IMMIGRATION HOTLINE, P.O. Box 332, Rexdale, ON., M9W 5L3.]
