Close coordination in combating illegal immigration to Australia
(Baonghean.vn) - On the afternoon of November 3 in Vinh City, the International Organization for Migration in Vietnam (IOM) coordinated with the Nghe An Border Guard Command to organize a workshop on preventing illegal migration from Vietnam to Australia by boat.
Attending the workshop were Mr. David Edward - First Secretary of Migration at the Australian Embassy in Vietnam; Representative of the International Organization for Migration in Vietnam. On the Vietnamese side, there was Colonel Vi Hai Viet - Deputy Commander of the Nghe An Border Guard Command; representatives of Departments, Boards, sectors and some localities in the area.
According to statistics from the Australian Government, from 2009 to 2013, there were 976 Vietnamese people illegally immigrating to Australia, of which 153 were under 18 years old. If in 2009 there were only 8 people illegally entering Australia, by 2013 there were 790 people. According to a survey report by the Provincial Border Guard Command, up to now, in Nghe An province, there are 215 people illegally entering Australia. In particular, the provincial authorities have verified cases of Nghe An citizens forced to return home by the Australian government and processed the procedures to receive cases returned by the host country. Recently, Nghe An authorities have prosecuted, investigated and handled 03 cases, 10 defendants in cases of organizing illegal exit for others to Australia. In addition, Ba Ria - Vung Tau Provincial Police have investigated, prosecuted and tried two cases involving four Nghe An people involved in illegal immigration activities in this province.
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| Conference scene |
At the workshop, many delegates shared the opinion that the illegal migration to Australia is due to criminal groups taking full advantage of people's need for jobs and income to attract and entice workers to illegally emigrate to Australia. In reality, most workers who enter Australia are arrested and deported back to their home country. In Nghe An, the number of illegal migrants to Australia is concentrated in coastal districts such as Nghi Loc, Cua Lo, Dien Chau, etc.
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| Delegates attending the workshop |
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| Delegates attending the workshop |
Speaking at the workshop, Mr. David Edward - First Secretary in charge of immigration issues at the Australian Embassy said that Vietnamese people illegally come to Australia mainly by sea, by boat. In 2013, the Australian Government issued many policies and sanctions to tighten immigration to this country, accordingly, those who are discovered and arrested will be forced to return to their home country or be extradited to refugee camps on some islands in Papua New Guinea.
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| Mr. David Edward - First Secretary in charge of Migration, Australian Embassy speaking |
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| Delegates take souvenir photos |
To effectively prevent the above situation, some opinions say that: the Penal Code has long had sanctions for those who organize illegal migration abroad, but it is necessary to supplement sub-law documents to ensure the actual requirements. The competent authorities in the province and in the country should strengthen strict inspection of study abroad cases, checking financial capacity for each specific case. Localities should focus on supervision and administrative management in each locality. In addition, the competent authorities of the province need to closely coordinate with countries such as Australia, the UK, Germany and international organizations such as IOM in exchanging and sharing information on the situation of illegal migration.
Dao Tuan
