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Niall Fraser

A Macau triad boss slipped through Canadian immigration controls in Los Angeles because of overworked officials.

 They did not interview him or check his status with the consulate in Hong Kong.

 An investigation into how the alleged 'dragon head' of Macau's Shui Fong (Wo On Lok) triad society slipped past authorities found that US officials waived thousands of interviews with applicants after launching an immigration drive.

 Despite being refused immigrant landing rights after applying through Hong Kong in 1994, gang boss Lai Tong-sang, known as Shui Fong Lai, was allowed to enter Canada in October last year.

 Since his arrival, his home in Fraserview Drive, Vancouver, has been the scene of a drive-by shooting.

 It was widely thought to have been linked to the gangland war with the 14K triad society over casino rackets which has rocked Macau over the past year. The Vancouver Sun said an investigation ordered by Canadian Immigration Minister Lucienne Robillard revealed the consulate in Los Angeles had difficulty justifying its existence in 1994.

 It launched an immigrant recruitment programme at Californian universities and faced thousands of applications from Asian countries. Under pressure, officers then started waiving thousands of interviews with applicants.

 On his application form, Lai told immigration authorities he was an investor who had started out as a labourer in the construction industry.

 Investigators said the practice made immigration 'more vulnerable to incidents of fraud or misrepresentation'.

 But 'no evidence was found of malfeasance, corruption, fraud, or criminal activity of any kind on the part of immigration employees'.

 A Canadian Consulate spokesman in Hong Kong, Angelique Marcel, said: 'If they had checked with us we would have told them about the 1994 application.' Lai is thought to have fled Canada but there is no warrant for his arrest.

  Hong Kong people top the immigration list to Canada, making up a tenth of new arrivals. A total of 108,915 Hong Kong people were granted landed immigrant status from 1991-96.



Overworked consulate officials let Macau triad boss slip into Canada