Two young men illegally smuggled people across the border.
(Baonghean.vn) - Although he did not have the function, authority, or duty to advise or organize people to go to China, Manh advised and guided on procedures, methods, routes, and welcomed and arranged jobs and accommodation for 8 workers who fled to China.
On March 2, the People's Court of Nghe An province opened a first-instance criminal trial to try two defendants, Duong Van Manh (born in 1996), residing in Hung Linh commune, Hung Nguyen district (Nghe An) and defendant Ma Dinh Thuc (born in 1985), residing in Ha Lang district (Cao Bang) for the crime of"Organizing others to flee abroad".
According to the case file, Duong Van Manh had worked illegally in China for a long time. During the Lunar New Year of 2019, Manh returned to his hometown to celebrate Tet and then returned to China to work. A person in Cao Bang accepted him and instructed him to escape to China by rafting across the river.
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| Two defendants at trial. Photo: Tran Vu |
During his time working in China, Manh received phone calls from his sister-in-law and some people asking about procedures, travel costs, as well as work and salary when working in China.
Manh replied that because he went illegally, he did not have to prepare any documents, his salary was about 10 - 12 million VND/month, and the total cost to go to China was 1,000 NDT (equivalent to 3.5 million VND). Duong Van Manh also gave instructions on the route to China and said he would ask Ma Dinh Thuc to help people cross the border.
In the above form, from about April to June 2019, Manh directly advised, negotiated, and guided 8 people to China for 4 trips to work illegally. Ma Dinh Thuc played a supporting role, helping the people cross the border on rafts across the river in Guangxi province.
All of these people were picked up by Thuc and taken deep into the interior of China to a location that Manh had arranged in advance. Manh then took these people to work at a company. Manh asked Chinese people to make fake identity cards for the workers to avoid inspection and detection by the local police until they returned to Vietnam at the end of 2019.
At the trial, the two defendants admitted to their crimes. Both said they “helped” the workers because they wanted to go abroad to earn a living. The victims who attended the trial asked for a reduced sentence for the two defendants and did not ask for any money back.
Considering the role of each defendant in the case, the panel sentenced Duong Van Manh to 5 years in prison and defendant Ma Dinh Thuc to 2 years in prison for the crime of "Organizing others to flee abroad".