Hong Kong people smuggling syndicates smashed: nearly 3,000 illegal immigrants arrested in joint operation with mainland police
Vietnamese and Pakistani immigrants form vast majority of the detained as authorities describe ‘very organised’ cross-border smuggling efforts
Hong Kong and mainland police have smashed three cross-border human-smuggling syndicates and arrested nearly 3,000 illegal immigrants heading for the city, most of them from Vietnam and Pakistan.
Announcing the results of the first phase of the mega crackdown, which began a month ago, they said yesterday the operation would continue for another 16 months in a concerted effort to tackle the growing trend of economic migrants and bogus asylum seekers flocking to Hong Kong.
Since they started in February, Guangdong, Guangxi and Yunnan police arrested a total of 2,860 Southeast Asians and 83 South Asians. The vast majority were from Vietnam and most of the others from Pakistan, a Hong Kong police source close to the investigation told the Post. One of China’s counter-terrorism units was also involved in the three major operations so far.
It is understood that Hong Kong police passed on intelligence to their mainland counterparts on 94 of the detained illegal immigrants.
Chinese officials raid gang smuggling 108 Vietnamese over border to work as cheap factory labourers
Police on both sides of the border also apprehended 142 key figures from the three syndicates which smuggled people into the mainland with a view to sneak them into Hong Kong. One syndicate was led by a Pakistani national with links to Hong Kong known as “Lo Fu Chai”– meaning “Little Tiger”.