Two cases of human smuggling revealed at Russian border

Seven Chinese stopped

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Finnish Border Guard officials have stopped two groups of Chinese citizens who tried to enter Finland with forged travel documents. The seven Chinese are believed to have been trying to travel via Finland to work illegally in other EU countries.
      The cases are apparently unconnected with each other, but both are believed to involve organised smuggling of humans.
      Captain Esa Korpi of the Border Guard of Southeast Finland says that each of the Chinese had paid organisers of the trip from EUR 13,000 to more than EUR 25,000 to get them to Europe.
     
The first group was stopped on a train at the Vainikkala border crossing on October 12th.
      Two women and one man were crossing the borders with genuine Chinese passports, but the visas were found to be forgeries. The empty Danish visa documents had been stolen from the Danish Consulate in Austria in 1995.
      Another group was stopped in Vainikkala the following day. The two women and a man were using forged Hong Kong passports.
      A 45-year-old man travelling with the first group, and a 30-year-old woman with the second group both had Hong Kong Passports, face charges of arranging illegal entry into Finland. The others, aged 18 to 36, have been refused entry into Finland.
     
Korpi says that the smuggling operation involves organisations which recruit people from the Chinese countryside.
      He also said that the Chinese were hoping to spend several years in Europe, although no specific jobs had been arranged for them.
     
"In both cases the family had provided the travel money. Their purpose would have been to send back money and write off the debt once they were back at home", Korpi says.
      Increasing numbers of Chinese have also been refused entry at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. Last year there were 54 such cases.
      Major Ilkka Herala of the General Staff of the Border Guard says that the main reason for the increase in human smuggling from China is the increase in air transport between Finland and China.
      A number of those sent back to China have been civil servants and businesspeople, who arrive with work visas, even though the trip is a holiday visit.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Chinese refused entry for visas acquired under false premises (14.11.2006)
  Border Guard concerned about increased direct flights between Finland and China (15.2.2006)

Helsingin Sanomat