China detains three Lankan illegal immigrants
CHINA:Chinese border guards detained three Sri Lankans and three
Bangladeshis suspected of illegally entering the country by boat from
the gambling enclave of Macau, the official Xinhua News Agency said on
Sunday.
One Chinese citizen was also detained on suspicion of piloting the
small boat that brought the group across the narrow waterway separating
the Chinese mainland from the special administrative region just before
midnight on Thursday, Xinhua said.
Long a source of contraband labour, China has become an attractive
target for illegal immigrants hoping to find work in the booming
economy.
The six had allegedly been brought to Macau by a smuggling ring with
the promise of decent jobs, even though the Chinese-governed territory
has seen protests among its native Chinese population over rising
unemployment. Unable to find jobs and living on the street, they each
paid a middleman 200 yuan (US$29) for passage to the mainland where they
hoped to find work as labourers, the report said. To page 13
China was for years a key source of illegal workers smuggled by ship,
plane or overland routes to labor markets in the United States, Japan
and Europe. While such practices continue, fast economic growth and
rising wealth have made China an attractive destination for people in
other parts of Asia.
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