Illegal foreign workers kidnapped and blackmailed by their own countrymen
(Baonghean) - Recently, Nghe An police have continuously received reports of illegal workers working in China being kidnapped by Vietnamese people, who then called their relatives to ask for ransom. In just 3 months, there have been at least 4 cases reporting similar incidents.
Sent money but still refused to release the person
On the afternoon of May 3, 2019, on her way home from work, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hien (24 years old, Nam Loc commune, Nam Dan district) was kidnapped by two Vietnamese men. Ms. Hien and her husband, Mr. Nguyen Van Cong, had been working illegally at a wood workshop in China for a long time.
Up to now, it has been more than 3 months since the amount of 187 million VND was transferred in full as requested by the kidnappers but they still have not released the woman. According to Mr. Cong, 2 of the kidnappers of his wife, 1 is from Nghe An, the other is from Hai Duong... This is just one of a series of cases of illegal workers in China being kidnapped and extorted.
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| Lack of jobs is the main reason why many women in Xiangyang district flock to China to work. Photo: Tien Hung |
In mid-July 2019, Quynh Luu District Police received a report from Ms. Tran Thi Huong (53 years old, Quynh Thang Commune) that her family had just received a strange phone call with a foreign number, informing her that her son, Mr. Nguyen Huu Quan (31 years old), had been kidnapped, demanding a ransom of 200 million VND. Not long ago, Quan followed a friend to Guangdong Province (China), working illegally.
To gain the family's trust, the anonymous group sent a picture of Mr. Quan with his hands tied tightly, next to some fierce-looking people on guard duty. Mrs. Huong said that although this group asked not to report to the police, otherwise her son's life would be threatened, Mr. Quan went to work abroad illegally, but because the family's situation was too difficult, she and her husband decided to ask for help from the police.
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| The illegal labor situation in China is causing many consequences. In Xiangyang, there are even dozens of children born in China to these illegal workers but then sent back to their mother's hometown to live. Photo: Tien Hung |
Quynh Luu District Police then coordinated with the Criminal Police Department of Nghe An Province Police to contact Chinese authorities to investigate and verify; at the same time, coordinated and instructed the family to delay the money transfer to negotiate with the subjects to exploit more information. However, 4 days later, taking advantage of the subjects' negligence, Nguyen Huu Quan escaped from detention and found his way back to Vietnam. Immediately after returning home, Mr. Quan went to the police to report the whole incident.
After transferring the money, the subjects released Mr. Thanh and until now, due to debt pressure, Mr. Thanh is still working illegally at a wood factory in Guangdong province.
From the beginning of April to mid-July, Nghe An police received 4 reports from citizens who said their family members were working in China and were arrested and threatened by some Vietnamese people. Among these cases, there were cases where the victims were released after their families transferred money. Many people were so scared and worried that they quickly returned to Vietnam for fear of becoming victims again. However, some victims did not return to Vietnam but instead stayed to earn money to pay off their debts.
Thousands of illegal workers
According to the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, up to now, in Nghe An, there are more than 3,000 women working and illegally exporting to China, including more than 400 cases of illegal marriage with natives in this country.
This number is mainly concentrated in mountainous districts, of which Quy Chau district alone had 276 people illegally crossing the border to China in 2018 to seek job opportunities. This number for the first 6 months of 2019 was 113 people.
In the border district of Tuong Duong, up to now, the whole district has 2,928 people working illegally abroad, most of them in China.
The Immigration Department of Nghe An Province Police said that in 2018 alone, the authorities discovered 1,800 cases of illegal laborers leaving the country for China. The unit handled 422 cases, mainly through Laos and China.
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| Mr. Quan went to Quynh Luu police station to report that he was kidnapped by a fellow countryman. Photo: Tien Hung |
Faced with the reality that more and more people in Nghe An illegally exit the country to China through Lang Son province, causing disorder and insecurity and posing many potential risks to security and safety in the border area, recently, the People's Committee of Lang Son province has issued an official dispatch to Nghe An province to notify about the increasing situation of illegal entry and exit of Nghe An citizens to China to work, work for hire, and participate in transporting goods across border trails.
In the first 6 months of 2019, Lang Son province had about 3,400 illegal exits, an increase of 1,300 over the same period last year. Of these, China arrested and returned nearly 500 people, pushing back 210 people.
Colonel Nguyen Manh Hung - Deputy Director, Head of the Investigation Police Agency of Nghe An Province Police said that to proactively combat and prevent this type of crime, Nghe An Police also issued an official dispatch directing police units and localities to organize and disseminate information on the methods of kidnapping and appropriation of property.
Propaganda and mobilize people not to go to work abroad illegally, especially in countries with many potential risks such as China and Taiwan. Police units and localities organize to review and count the number of citizens who are going to work abroad illegally in China to promptly inform relatives and families about the methods and tricks of the above-mentioned crimes, coordinate the fight and prevention.
