Canada has asked the Czech government to take steps against mediators of the emigration of Czechs overseas, the Canadian embassy in Prague said on Tuesday in reaction to the press information that the departures of Czech Romanies for Canada are organized and have an economic subtext.

The information was published by the Czech daily newspaper Lidove Noviny, which reported that some former Czechoslovak citizens who live now in Canada are involved in organizing the departures.

"Last week the Canadian government called on the Czech government to take resolute measures against unscrupulous mediators as it believes that it is them who are behind the sharp increase in the number of applicants for a refugee's status, who have been arriving in Canada," the embassy told reports on Tuesday.

Jason Kenney, the Canadian minister for citizenship and immigration, last week called on the Czech Republic to intervene against the agencies which may be behind the new wave of Czech asylum seekers, mostly Romanies, arriving in Canada.

Last year, 853 Czech citizens applied for Canadian asylum.

A total of 570 Czechs applied for Canadian asylum this January and February, according to Czech Ombudsman Otakar Motejl.

Despite the increase in the number of applications for asylum, Canada is not planning to reintroduce visa requirements for Czechs, the embassy said.