PNG: Immigration scrutiny for 3 Chinese nationals
Updated
Papua New Guinea authorities are investigating three Chinese nationals allegedly using tourist visas to live on Manus Island. They were arrested by immigration and customs officials as part of the ''Operation Remove Aliens'' investigation.
Firmin Nanol
Presenter:
Speakers: Manus Provincial administrator Wep Kanawi
NANOL: PNG's Foreign Affairs minister Sam Abal admitted in parliament last year that there are over 3000 immigrants living in the country. He says some are working and living under the protection of local business partners. Minister Abal says some are married to PNG women and are allegedly involved in drug trafficking and human smuggling syndicates, but are protected by their wives' relatives. A recent raid by Customs and Immigration officers in PNG's Manus province discovered several Chinese nationals were residing illegally in the country without valid documents. Manus Provincial administrator Wep Kanawi says they are posing a threat to local businessmen and the indigenous Manus people.
He says three such Chinese nationals who entered the country using tourist visa are being questioned and will monitor them.
WEP KANAWI: Three of them had improper work permits and that has then been sent to Port Moresby because they came through as members of families and they started working here and I think that was really the diff, but on the immigration front there aren't too many of them here and when people see them they know exactly who they are, so it's a lot easier for us to keep track of them in a small setting like this.
NANOL: PNG immigrations and customs officials working under an operation code named ''Operation Remove Aliens'', arrested and send them to Port Moresby for questioning. Manus Administrator Wep Kanawi says they were found doing businesses reserved for local in partnership with Manus businessmen and women.
WEP KANAWI: A number of these Chinese nationals have gone into partnerships with Manus Islanders and they have gone into little businesses that were once placed on the reserved list for Papua New Guineans only, and Papua New Guineans in this case in particular it's Manusians who've gone into partnerships with Chinese nationals and they've gone into businesses which were once reserved.
NANOL: He says not many Papua New Guineans venture into small business activities and complain when they see foreigners are making money, but says they bring in benefits for the local people and the country as well.
WEP KANAWI: You take the Chinese away and you take the opportunities away. The people here will go back to where they where. We have a problem here where the Manus Islanders go into businesses for a short while and they go out of it. Lack of capital, lack of business knowledge and lack of business know-how, that's the sort of thing that's impeding our people from going into small business activities that they could easily go into.
NANOL: However he says the Manus people and provincial government will not remove the Chinese nationals and businesses in the province as they provide jobs and employment for the local.
WEP KANAWI: Small business activity is now thriving in our province. The minus to that is that they are now being taken up by Chinese nationals and this is really creating a bit of misnomer amongst our society. But sooner rather than later these things will even themselves out and the whole idea is to get the business and entrepreneurship skills opened up.
NANOL: PNG immigration officials say the illegal Chinese nationals were allegedly involved in a passport and visa scam racket.
