Immigration agents arrest 2 Chinese nationals

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) filed criminal charges against two Chinese nationals suspected to be the brains of a big-time human trafficking syndicate that brings in Mainland Chinese nationals to Hongkong through Manila.

Immigration Commissioner Andrea Domingo identified the suspects who were charged before the Pasay City Regional Trial Court as Wu Wei Kang, the alleged leader of the human smuggling syndicate, and Ka Ho See, the gang’s alleged courier.

The suspects were charged with 21 counts of conspiracy to obtain and use fake Philippine immigration papers; concealing, harboring and giving comfort to illegal aliens; and falsifying public documents, all in violation of the country’s immigration laws.

Domingo said the duo, who were presented to media, were charged for an attempt to smuggle out of the country and into Hongkong seven Mainland Chinese nationals carrying fake BI reentry permits and official receipts.

The seven passengers were stopped from leaving last Aug. 17 when immigration officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport doubted the authenticity of their travel documents.

A check on their travel documents later revealed that their papers indeed were fake, which prompted Domingo to order a thorough probe into the activities of the syndicate responsible for undermining the integrity of the bureau‘s official documents.

Immigration officer Gary Mendoza, who investigated the incident and filed the complaint with the Pasay court, said there were indications that the syndicate enjoyed well-entrenched connections within and outside the BI and that it had been operating in Manila for the past several years.

He said this was bolstered by findings that one of the suspects, Ka Ho See, had gone on 31 trips from Manila to Hongkong and vice versa since 1999.

Mendoza said the syndicate make it appear that the aliens they smuggle to Hongkong are Chinese born in the Philippines so they could easily apply for permanent residence status in Hongkong.

He noted that the Hongkong government is more strict and cautious in granting residence status to Mainland Chinese nationals than those born in other countries. – Rey Arquiza